Father’s Day in 2023 will likely be an indoor sort of day if you’re in the southwest corner of the country, as a strong front ripped through the region last night.  

Residents this morning have woken up to the cold bite, with winter attempting to stay relevant as we head into the spring months. 

The cold front that moved through overnight is typical for a winter front, generating gale force wind gusts across coastal areas including Perth overnight, with the BoM issuing a severe weather warning (now cancelled) for damaging winds along the west coast overnight.  

 Image: Himawari satellite image at 8am WST. The speckled cloud off the southwest coast indicates cold air behind the front 

Cape Naturaliste topped the lot with a 101.9km/h wind gust at about 1:30am WST, with multiple locations across the state recording winds exceeding 80km/h. Some of these locations include: 

• Cape Leeuwin – 90.7km/h 
• Rottnest Island – 90.7km/h 
• Jandakot Aero – 90.7km/h 
• Gooseberry Hill – 88.9km/h 
• Norseman Aero – 81.5km/h 

In addition to the strong winds, the front has also generated some decent shower activity, and even some lightning strikes across the southwest overnight and into this morning. 

In the last 24 hours (to 9am WST Sunday) Bickley experienced their wettest September day in 3 years with 32.6mm. Dwellingup recorded 29.6mm while Bunbury picked up 13.6mm. Further north in the state’s capital, Perth has seen 9.0mm fall into the gauges. 

Image: MSLP and 850hPa temperatures at 8am WST using ECMWF. Notice how the blue area matches the area behind the front in the previous image. 

The front has certainly become disruptive for Father’s Day plans across southwest WA, with gusty showers likely to continue throughout the day. It’s also looking relatively chilly with Perth looking to get to 17°C, and feeling up to 4°C colder. Many parts of southwest WA will also struggle to lift into the mid-teens. 

South Australia is next in line for this front, with winds picking up ahead of the front in western and central areas during the day, and a warning for damaging winds already in place for the west of the state. However, it will be a pleasantly warm day for those that do decide to head outside for their Father’s Day activities. 

Across the rest of Australia, many dads will be delighted with the warm, sunny skies. It’s looking like a perfect afternoon to head out to the beach, have a BBQ, or even spend the afternoon at the footy, as signs of spring start to set in across much of the country.