Storms and gale force winds as cold front roars towards WA

A powerful autumn cold front is approaching the southwest corner of Western Australia, bringing storms, strong winds, widespread showers, and a sharp temperature drop to follow on Tuesday.

For Perth, showers and storms will likely arrive on Monday evening, and while conditions will start to ease on Tuesday, the mercury will reach just 19°C.

Down in the South Coastal forecast district, Albany looks set for its coldest day of 2026 to date on Tuesday with a top of 16°C, while the South West forecast district town of Manjimup, about three hours south of Perth at an elevation of around 300m, should see a chilly Tuesday top of just 15°C. 

You can see the dynamic system approaching Western Australia’s SW tip this Monday on the loop below.

Satellite image showing the cold front approaching southwest WA on April 20, 2026
Image: Two-hour satellite loop showing the cold front approaching southwest WA on the morning of Monday, April 20, 2026. Source: Weatherzone.

A thick cloud band is evident ahead of the front, followed by a polar airmass which is indicated by the speckled cloud pattern. Storms are most likely on Monday evening as the two airmasses interact.

Gale warnings issued, including for Perth area

Due to the tight pressure gradient associated with the incoming cold front, winds are set to pick up quite dramatically during Monday.

At 9:05am (AWST), the BoM issued a gale warning for Monday for the following areas: Perth Local Waters, Lancelin Coast, Perth Coast, Bunbury Geographe Coast, Leeuwin Coast and Albany Coast.

Gale warnings are also in place for Tuesday for the following areas: Perth Local Waters, Perth Coast, Bunbury Geographe Coast, Albany Coast and Esperance Coast

Image: Predicted peak wind gusts at 8pm (AWST) for Western Australia on Monday, April 20, 2026, according to the ECMWF model. Source: Weatherzone.

How does the BoM define a gale?

The BoM defines a gale as an average wind speed of 34 to 47 knots, which translates to 63 to 87 km/h.

The average wind speed is calculated over 10-minute intervals, and it’s worth noting that gusts are often considerably stronger.

Meanwhile a second, slightly weaker cold front looks set to push through on Thursday or Friday, as weather systems swing towards the pattern which is common in WA’s southwest during the cooler months.