Western Australia is bracing for the wildest autumn weather in years as the remnants of a tropical cyclone collide with a cold front to whip up damaging winds, heavy rain and massive waves.
Ex-category one tropical cyclone Mangga brought rain and gusty winds to Cocos Keeling Islands, off WA's northwest coast, overnight.
The remains of the system are expected to combine with a cold front to the south, creating dangerous weather, with wind gusts up to 100 km/h possible for nearly the whole of the west coast.
Strong and squally winds will hit the state's north on Sunday morning, then move south to Perth and Albany in the afternoon and evening.
Peak gusts of about 130km/h are possible, the Bureau of Meteorology says, and could prove destructive to homes and property.
"By late Sunday night, the worst of the weather is expected over the southwest of the state," the BoM says.
Heavy rain could lead to flash flooding from Kalbarri to Onslow on Sunday.
Peak wave heights in excess of eight metres are predicted for the southwest coast on Monday, causing significant beach erosion.
Destructive winds and heavy rain is forecast to affect the length of the west coast of Western Australia. Source: Bureau of Meteorology
"This is a rare event for WA due to the extent of the area affected and the possibility of multiple areas of dangerous weather," the BoM said.
"A similar event to this one occurred in June 2012, which led to over 600 calls for assistance and over 170 000 homes losing power."
People are urged to prepare their properties, and ensure pets and animals are in a safe area.
