WA braces for second day of heatwave amid power outages

Parts of Western Australia came close to 50 degrees on Monday and there was little reprieve overnight, with temperatures dropping to a minimum of 27.8 degrees in Perth around 2.30am.

Pressure on the power grid resulted in 12,000 homes losing power.

Geraldton Airport hit 49.3 degrees – its equal hottest on record – while in Perth, the mercury rose to 43.6 degrees, hitting the peak at 3.51pm.

The suburb of Pearce was the metropolitan area’s hottest suburb, reaching 45.5 degrees.

The RSPCA WA said it recorded 15 heat-related calls on Monday, ranging from dogs left in cars and on the back of a ute in full sun, a kitten outside without access to water and horses with no shade.

Meanwhile, a planned power outage in Dianella left many residents without airconditioning for several hours and those working for the City of Stirling were also told to go home after the council building lost power.

Unplanned power outages affected around 3800 customers in Cloverdale, Kewdale, Carlisle, Belmont and Rivervale and around 4000 customers around Balcatta and Osborne Park.

A total of 4000 customers in Coogee, Spearwood and Beeliar also lost power, alongside 1000 customers in Caversham, Lockridge and Kiara.

Western Power said most were restored by back-feeding within a few hours.

WA Premier Roger Cook said Monday was a “record draw on the South West (power) grid.”

“Last year, the highest draw on any one single day was 4200 megawatts. Yesterday, we got around about 4500 megawatts, so the system is working at pace to deal with the heat and the obvious demand on electricity as a result of that,” he said.

“Whenever you see an extreme weather event, whether it’s a storm or whether it’s a heatwave, you always see the system come under pressure.

“We had some outages across the metropolitan area, they were largely due to just local technical faults but they were rectified quickly. Overall, the system performed very well.”

WA Nationals leader Shane Love disagreed and on Tuesday announced a new policy to build energy microgrids to address outages during peak times.

“We depend on low-cost, reliable electricity for essential services such as refrigeration, technology, telecommunications, petrol pumps, manufacturing, and water supply,” he said.

“By leveraging advancements in technology, microgrids can minimise disruptions, improve reliability, and reduce reliance on fossil fuels.”

If elected, Love said his government would invest $3 million in a pilot microgrid in the town of Mullewa.

Bureau of Meteorology duty forecaster Jessica Lingard said it was the third heatwave this summer.

“Generally, we do see five heatwaves with around two of them being severe,” she said.

Dr Phillip Brooks from Royal Perth Hospital said heatstroke, if left untreated, could be serious, and urged people to remain indoors and stay hydrated.

“Particularly that change in behaviour or that confusion or altered mental state, that can often be the sign of a much more severe illness and really that should be treated in hospital or at least by a doctor,” he said.

Meanwhile, off the Pilbara coast, the tropical cyclone reached a category four on Monday evening with winds of up to 260 kilometres per hour at its centre, but did not make landfall, instead tracking away from the coast.

Cyclone Sean flooded homes and roads and uprooted trees.

Karratha Mayor Daniel Scott told 9 News Perth that it rained nonstop from 10am Sunday to Monday morning. The regional town recorded the highest January rainfall in 50 years.

Lingard said the bulk of that rain fell between 6.45pm and 7.45pm on the Sunday.

On Tuesday, some WA suburbs are on track to exceed 40 degrees again including Midland, Armadale, Northam, Kellerberrin and Kalgoorlie, but Perth is predicted to hit 38 degrees – six degrees cooler than Monday.

The heat is also expected to reach further south, with Esperance predicted to reach 34 degrees.

Conservation Council of WA fossil fuels program manager Anna Chapman said the extreme weather was another reminder of why action on climate was needed.

“These weather extremes offer a taste of our future if we continue to drive climate change,” she said.

“The state government’s continued support for the expansion of fossil fuel projects, including extending the North West Shelf gas processing facility at Woodside’s Burrup Hub, directly contributes to the escalating climate crisis.”

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