LIGHTNING strikes in Murdoch and Southern River have caused 27,000 Western Power customers to be without power this morning.
The strikes came as a result of a storm that affected Perth’s south-east.
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READ NOW“Lightning activity in the Murdoch and Southern River area has triggered safety devices within local substations, resulting in apx 27,000 customers losing power,” Western Power tweeted.
“The most affected suburbs are Bateman, Leeming, Bull Creek, Riverton and Murdoch. Estimated restoration time is 1pm today.
“Our emergency response crews are attending the sites to assess the facilities for possible damage.
“Following this we will look to restore power as safely and as quickly as possible.”
St John of God Hospital Murdoch lost power for about an hour, but back-up generators ensured theatres were unaffected.
Fiona Stanley Hospital has also been affected by the outage.
Perth weather forecast
The Bureau of Meteorology forecast a 40% chance of showers this afternoon, most likely in the afternoon and evening around Perth Hills, with the chance of a thunderstorm.
There’s a 70% chance of showers on Thursday, most likely in the morning and afternoon. Southwesterly winds of 15 to 25 km/h are forecast, increasing to 25 to 35 km/h in the morning then turning southerly 15 to 25 km/h in the evening.