Rare tornado strikes City Beach, damaging multiple homes in Perth, Western Australia
A powerful tornado ripped through City Beach in Western Australia as a severe storm moved through Perth, bringing hail, damaging winds, and flooding on Wednesday night, July 23, 2025. The tornado developed from a rapidly intensifying supercell along the coast, catching authorities off guard and leaving behind a trail of destruction.
Flooding along the Causeway near Swan River on the night of July 23, 2025. Credit: Main Roads WA
A powerful tornado struck City Beach, damaging multiple homes across the western suburbs of Perth on Wednesday night (LT), July 23.
According to local media reports, the tornado likely developed from a supercell system that intensified and moved ashore between 17:00 and 17:30 local time (LT).
The storm system rapidly intensified and was detected just as it neared the coast, giving authorities little time to issue warnings for the area. The Bureau of Meteorology confirmed that the tornado likely began as a waterspout before making landfall.
While Western Australia can see around 3 to 5 tornadoes during the winters, it’s rare to see a tornado in the city of Perth, reported 9 News.
Towards the end you can see the rotation in the Lathlain lights in the rain curtain.
— West WX Watchers(@WestWXWatchers) July 23, 2025
The system rotated for hours off to the SE as well as evident on radar.
From other reports in the area it seems this is a confirmed tornado. This video taken at 5.40pm. @BOM_WA pic.twitter.com/JU4GgQUtUe
The storms downed multiple trees and caused minor flooding in the affected areas. Branches and fallen trees blocked multiple roads, including parts of the West Coast Highway. Some residents described the wind as sounding like a jet engine.
The Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) received 105 requests for assistance overnight, with approximately 150 emergency services volunteers responding.
The majority of calls for assistance came from households with roof damage, while many others reported flooding and water ingress.
FLOODING – KWINANA FREEWAY NORTHBOUND AFTER MILL POINT ROAD, SOUTH PERTH
— Main Roads WA (@Perth_Traffic) July 23, 2025
Right lanes affected
Slow down and proceed with caution https://t.co/opvsGWKx8K #perthtraffic pic.twitter.com/Mef15js3ol
Massive hail was also reported as storms moved through the area, with Kings Park reporting the largest hail of 7.56 cm (2.98 inches) and Bickley recording 4.76 mm (1.87 inches) on Wednesday.
City Beach sustained the most severe damage, but widespread impacts were reported across the Perth metropolitan area, from Baldivis in the south to Hocking in the north and Lesmurdie in the east. Victoria Park, Queens Park, and Forrestfield also reported significant damage.
The Town of Cambridge also reported significant damage to homes and roads in City Beach, particularly along Kalari Drive, Lentara Crescent, and Marapana Drive.
“Our thoughts are with the residents who experienced serious property damage, and in some cases, had to leave their homes last night,” Mayor Gary Mack said.
“We understand this is distressing, and while the full extent of the storm damage is still being assessed, we are committed to supporting our community through the recovery process.”
So far, no injuries or fatalities related to the storms have been reported.
I am an Assistant Editor and Severe Weather & Science Journalist at The Watchers, specializing in real-time severe weather coverage, geophysical event reporting, and research-driven scientific analysis. You can reach me at rishav(at)watchers(.)news.
Is there any history of supercell tornado around that area? Supercell is key word here, garden variety tornado is possible most anywhere. How certain was it that it was supercell?