Do you remember the Perth hail storm of 2010?
With all that’s been happening over the last couple of weeks, you may have forgotten about the last major event that rocked Perth. 13-years ago, Perth experienced the most devastating hail storm in memory.
Watch: Storms in Perth, March 2010
The storm was so bad, then Premier Colin Barnett declared parts of Perth a disaster zone. The damage bill was at least $200 million.
Where were you during the Great Perth Hail Storm of 2010?
Things that happened on that fateful day….
The Hail
The hailstones in this beast of a storm were some of the largest ever known to have occurred in Perth and were around 3 cm (1.2 in) – 6 cm (2.4 in) in diameter, according to citizen historians on Wikipedia.
For those cars that survived glass damage, thousands more were given golf ball like dimples from the powerful hail, that can still be seen on some Perth cars today.
Landslides
Yes, landslides. Kings Park basically packed it in. Jacobs Ladder was partially destroyed and apartments had to be evacuated as the threat to lives was imminent.
No Power
About 160,000 homes lost power – takeaway joints with backup power did a roaring trade that night. Over 110 power lines went down, making parts of Perth look like a tornado hit. That’s pretty much literally what happened folks.
Massive Lightning Strikes
Huge bolts of lightning struck thousands of times in a short period of time. Many homes, power poles, trees and business were hit. Its amazing there were no deaths.
Flooding
UWA Library completely flooded. Part of the roof at Perth Airport’s Qantas terminal collapsed from the deluge. Funerals at Karrakata were cancelled as key buildings flooded and roofs collapsed. Several High Schools, including Ocean Reef and Shenton College, experienced severe damage. Buildings flooded in the Perth CBD and thousands had to be evacuated. Car parks went under and some people were trapped in their cars.
Traffic Chaos
Power at major intersections went out for hours. Police had to man many major roads and crossings. 60 sets went out. The Kwinana Freeway shut down, with the freeway enveloped by the Swan River. Mounts Bay Road shut down as did many other Perth streets.
Schools Out!
Dozens of High Schools and Primary Schools cancelled classes for the day and following days. They included: Duncraig Senior High, Lynwood Senior High, Heathridge Primary, kindergarten and pre-primary at Hollywood Primary, Mindarie Senior College, North Perth Primary, years 8-10 at Perth Modern School, Ocean Reef Senior High, Quinns Rocks Primary, Shenton and Tuart Colleges and Tuart Hill Primary.
Insurance
Over 12,000 claims were lodged, damaged cars, windows destroyed in homes. At least $100,000,000 in damager was reported in the first 24-hours after the storm hit. That rose to at least $200 mill.
Car dealerships got owned. Hundreds of cars were completely destroyed.
Never forget.
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