Dark clouds loomed over Morley as the storm front moved across Perth's northern suburbs
© Matt WoodcockDark clouds loomed over Morley as the storm front moved across Perth's northern suburbs.
A freak storm has caused chaos across Perth, bringing down trees, causing flash flooding and leaving homes without power.

The storm rolled in around 5pm, bringing dark clouds , lightning strikes and heavy rains with it.

It lashed the city and the suburbs, with people taking to social media to capture the chaos.

Winds of 93 km/hr were reported at Ocean Reef, while peak hour traffic ground to a halt as traffic lights went out.

The Bureau of Meteorology says the storm was not unusual for February, but it caught everyone by surprise.

BOM WA issued an alert only an hour before, just after 4pm.


A fast-food shop in Beldon was forced to shut up shop as the rain poured in, while a shopping centre at Ocean Keys was also flooded.

The rain gauge at Mount Lawley recorded 13.6mm of rain in just 30 minutes.

There are reports of several uprooted trees, including one that landed on a car in Wembley.

Roofs were damaged in West Leederville and Girrawheen.

About 18,000 homes are without power in metropolitan Perth, including in Trigg, Karrinyup, Balcatta, Osborne Park and Inglewood.


Storm clouds have shifted south towards Rivervale, Belmont and Cloverdale.

Traffic lights have gone out at Karrinyup Road and Wanneroo Road and trains have been cancelled on the Joondalup line.

Technicians are racing to fix the problems while residents and businesses start the mop-up.