Perth Faces Power Outages as Unprecedented Heatwave Strikes

Thursday: Max 35°C, min 23°C, sunny with light winds.
Friday: Max 31°C, min 22°C, partly cloudy with a chance of a shower.
Saturday: Max 28°C, min 18°C, cloud clearing with light winds.
Sunday: Max 24°C, min 16°C, partly cloudy.
Monday: Max 27°C, min 14°C, with cloud clearing.
Tuesday: Max 37°C, min 18°C, sunny.

On Wednesday night, over 15,000 homes across Perth were plunged into darkness as the State’s power grid struggled to cope with soaring temperatures. Unplanned outages began around 5:40 PM, affecting residents in South Perth, Kensington, and Victoria Park, where approximately 2,939 people lost power temporarily.

By 6 PM, the situation worsened, with 11,634 residents in Scarborough, Karrinyup, Innaloo, Trigg, Wembley Downs, and Woodlands left without electricity. As of the latest reports, over 9,000 homes in the northern suburbs remained without power, leaving many without air conditioning during the extreme heat.

Western Power described these unplanned outages as unscheduled interruptions to electricity transmission and distribution, assuring the public that efforts were underway to resolve the issues promptly.

At one point, more than 630 homes in Karrawara and Waterford were affected, with power restorations across the metropolitan area not expected until at least 10 PM for most suburbs.

The mercury in Perth soared past 40°C for the first time since February, peaking at 40.4°C at 2:48 PM. Pearce recorded an even hotter 43°C while the Swan Valley reached 42°C. Meteorologist Angeline Prasad from the Bureau of Meteorology noted that such high temperatures are unusual for early December, attributing the heat to a West Coast trough bringing hot north-easterly winds.

While some relief is on the horizon, with temperatures expected to gradually ease in the coming days, the RSPCA WA has urged residents to consider their pets during the heatwave. Reports of dogs being left in cars and walked during peak temperatures have raised concerns for animal welfare.

Looking ahead, the weather forecast for Perth indicates a slight cooling trend: