If you live in an area southwest of a line from Geraldton to Southern Cross to Norseman to Israelite Bay you need to prepare your home and family now for the severe weather coming Saturday.

This includes people in Perth metropolitan area, Geraldton, Dalwallinu, Jurien Bay, York, Mandurah, Bunbury, Busselton, Margaret River, Bridgetown, Albany, Katanning, Narrogin, Southern Cross and Esperance and surrounding areas.

This weather is not unusual for this time of year, but could damage homes and make travel dangerous

WHAT TO DO:

DFES has these tips to help you and your family prepare before the bad weather starts:

Trim branches around your home to prevent them falling on your roof or car.
Clear gutters and downpipes so they do not overflow after heavy rain.
Store or weigh down loose objects around your home or work like outdoor furniture that could be picked up and thrown by strong winds, causing damage or injury.
Prepare an emergency kit with a battery operated radio, torch, spare batteries and first aid kit.
Organise an emergency plan, including a relocation plan for your family and pets in case your home becomes flooded.

WEATHER DETAILS:

As at 11.35am on Friday 20 May 2016 the Bureau of Meteorology advises the first significant cold front of the year is expected to affect southwest WA during Saturday.

The strong cold front is likely to cause widespread damaging winds to 100 kilometres per hour that could result in damage to homes and property. In isolated areas dangerous gusts in excess of 125 kilometres per hour could cause significant damage or destruction to homes and property.

Damaging winds are expected to develop about the Southwest Capes late Friday evening, extending to reach Perth to Katanning to Albany by 6:00am Saturday and Jurien Bay to Merredin to Hopetoun by late morning.

Higher than normal tides may cause flooding of low-lying coastal areas particularly along the west coast during Saturday morning around the time of high tide. Dangerous surf conditions which could cause some beach erosion are also likely.

Heavy rainfall will occur with the passage of the front with the heaviest falls expected southwest of a line Perth to Albany. Isolated thunderstorms and small hail are possible southwest of a line Perth to Albany, extending along the south coast to Esperance during Saturday afternoon and evening.

People in the southwest of WA experience a front as windy as this about 5 times per year.

Storms may be accompanied by:

Damaging winds
Heavy rainfall, which may lead to flash flooding
Small hail

IF YOU NEED ASSISTANCE:

If your home has been badly damaged by a storm, call the State Emergency Service (SES) on 132 500
In a life threatening situation call 000

After a storm SES volunteers make temporary repairs to homes that have been badly damaged, such as roofs that have been ripped off or large fallen trees on homes and cars. Please contact your insurance company to organise permanent repairs.