A waterspout rattled Perth's coastal suburb of Scarborough on Sunday, sending cars - and social media - into a spin. A cold front crossing the nation's southwest yesterday produced the impressive waterspout as heavy showers moved through the region. Cold upper-level air associated with the front interacted with relatively warm water sitting off the coast of Perth. This marked contrast in temperature with height produced enough uplift and rotation in the lower atmosphere to allow a waterspout to spin up. Shortly after forming, the waterspout crossed the coast at Scarborough and maintained its rotation for a short time while moving inland. The former waterspout - now a landspout - generated winds strong enough to cause minor structural damage and even rotate a parked car. Based on the damage it left behind, this spout is likely to have produced wind speeds of around 80-90km/h, with gusts exceeding 100km/h. Waterspouts and landspouts are much weaker than the tornadoes produced by supercell thunderstorms. While yesterday's event was an example of a strong waterspout, it's comparable to a very weak tornado based on wind speed and subsequent damage. Waterspouts are common in Australia and can occur at any time of the year. They are typically more newsworthy when they affect a populated location such as Perth, because more people see them and there is a greater chance that someone will film it. Showers will continue on and off in Perth this week, with two more cold fronts set to sweep over the state's southwest on Wednesday and Thursday night into Friday.