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© WAtoday
The biggest storm to hit Perth in 50 years has caused massive destruction across the city.

Within a couple of hours of the storm passing through, more than 150,000 homes were without power, residents flooded Fire and Emergency Services helplines desperate for assistance, roads were underwater and traffic in some areas was at a standstill.

Almost 100 sets of traffic lights were out and planes were stranded at both Perth airports.

The State Emergency Service has had reports of structural damage to several major hospitals and aged care facilities, and these cases were the priority.

A landslide through Kings Park down to Mounts Bay Road has buried and crushed two cars, with police unable to confirm whether there were any occupants inside. The cars were in parking bays, so police are hopeful nobody was inside.

The landslide went through the Adelphi apartments, which have been evacuated. The power and gas at the apartments has been turned off. Emergency services have sealed off Jacob's Ladder because foundations were washed away in the storm.

Homes have been destroyed, with commercial property and infrastructure also damaged after the severe hail storm and 35mm of rain hit the city about 4pm today.

Two storm fronts battered the northern suburbs before heading south towards the city.

A SES spokesman urged people with damage to their homes to call the helpline 132 500 only if the damage was so great they could not fix it themselves. Calls for assistance would be placed in a queue depending on their urgency.

Western Power is calling on people to only ring to report dangerous situations, with the organisation inundated with calls about power outages.

Drivers have been warned to avoid Mounts Bay Road after a mini-landslide from Kings Park.

Trains, flights affected

Transperth spokesman David Hines said services on the Thornlie, Fremantle and Joondalup lines have been closed due to electrical problems. The storm has knocked out signaling systems.

More trains were affected by debris across the tracks, electrical faults and power outtages which also affected signals and knocked out ticketing systems.

Perth Airport officials have reported long delays to domestic and international flights.

No flights have been cancelled but WAtoday.com.au understands dozens of passengers are stranded on board planes on the runway unable to take-off.

The domestic terminal building has been damaged, according to passengers.

Travellers are advised to contact their airline for updated information.

Flooding

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© Tim Clarke
Perth motorists have been left stranded as large areas of Perth have flooded.

There is major flooding in:

- Marmion Avenue
- Mitchell Freeway, northbound, near Hutton Street and Cedric Street.
- Mt Lawley subway
- Wanneroo Road and Pinjar Road

Schools closed

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© Nicole Barber
A department of education spokeswoman said Shenton College, Ocean Reef High School and Mindari Senior College will be closed tomorrow due to severe flooding.

Eighty per cent of Shenton College classrooms were flooded and 70 per cent of Ocean Reef SHS had flooded.

"Multiple celings have collapsed at Ocean Reef SHS," the spokewoman said.

The library at University of Western Australia is understood to have been flooded causing hundreds of thousands of dollars damage.

FESA warning

A FESA spokeswoman said there had been widespread damage across the metropolitan area to residential and commercial premises and infrastructure.

They were struggling to come to grips with how much damage had occurred, but said they had been flooded with calls from residents needing help.

Earlier today, the Fire and Emergency Services Authority issued a severe storm warning for a semicircle bounded by the Midwest tourist town of Kalbarri, through the Wheatbelt towns of Mt Magnet, Merredin and Katanning, to the Peel region holiday spot of Mandurah.

FESA urged peak hour commuters to slow down, turn their headlights on and keep a safe distance from other drivers.

These sentiments have been echoed by the RAC which warns the long dry spell has created dangerous driving conditions.

"A long dry spell such as the one we've experienced in Perth leads to a build up of oil and grease on the roads," RAC spokesman Matt Brown said.

"When it rains for the first time, the water brings this to the surface and the roads become particularly slippery.

"The rain and wet roads will affect peak hour traffic and make conditions a lot more dangerous than usual."

Mr Brown urged commuters to be patient and adapt their driving behaviour to the conditions.

The State Emergency Service has advised residents to weigh down loose objects such as outdoor furniture that could be picked up and thrown by strong winds.

The city's swimmers, boaters and surfers have been urged to leave the water immediately.

Cool air in the upper atmosphere drifted over WA during the end of the weekend, enhancing a surface trough that was already firing storms through the interior.

Weatherzone.com.au says that parched Perth could receive as much as 10 to 15mm over the next few days. If it does, it will be the best rain since November 2009.

In the three months of summer, which ended on February 28, the WA capital received a meagre 0.2mm.

So far this month, Perth has recorded no rainfall. The average rainfall for March is 21mm.