Western Australia's South West faced a deluge as storms brought over 100 millimeters of rain, leading to minor flooding in inland areas. The local landmark, Gnomesville, located in the Ferguson Valley, suffered damage, affecting its collection of garden gnomes. Residents and farmers in the region are now assessing the aftermath. Dardanup, situated 180 kilometers south of Perth, recorded 114mm of rainfall in the past 24 hours, while the Ferguson Valley received 105mm.
Natasha Linley, a visitor to Gnomesville, noted the damage to the gnomes, indicating a need for cleanup efforts. Nearby, Bryn Kettle, a farmer in Yabberup, east of Donnybrook, reported flooding in his garden, jeopardizing his newly planted fruit and vegetable crops. Kettle highlighted the unusual nature of this weather event for the time of year, with significant portions of his land submerged.
In the Ferguson Valley, orange growers Rob Manning and Diana Neggo experienced the storm's impact firsthand, with continuous heavy rain filling their gutters and saturating their property. Despite initial benefits to their orange crops following a dry summer, concerns are rising over potential diseases and the phenomenon known as fruit split, attributed to rapid water intake by the fruits.
The Bureau of Meteorology issued a severe weather warning in response to the thunderstorms, explaining the phenomenon as "training," where clouds align like train carriages, depositing rain in a concentrated area. Forecaster Jessica Lingard noted that while some locations received minimal rainfall, areas beneath the cloud "train" experienced significant downpours. The storm is expected to move east, with showers continuing throughout the day.
Source: ABC News