The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) has issued an extreme heatwave warning for Lower West and Central Wheat Belt Districts and a severe heatwave warning for Gascoyne, Goldfields, South Interior, Central West, South West, South East Coastal and Great Southern Districts from Monday 20 to Wednesday 22 January.
Maximum temperatures ranging from the high 30s to mid-40s with overnight minimum temperatures mostly in the low to high 20s has been forecasted.
A thunderstorm has also been forecasted over the Lower West, South West, adjacent South Coastal, western Great Southern and far southwest Central Wheat Belt districts today (Monday 20 January).
While extensive summer preparedness and bushfire mitigation work has been done to prepare the network for hot summer conditions, all electricity networks take extra precautions during heatwave events.
The network is built to withstand high temperature weather conditions and peak electricity demand, but it’s imperative that it be managed in line with high fire risk weather conditions.
During these high summer temperature periods, we adjust our network settings to reduce fire-related risks which may increase the frequency and duration of potential power outages.
In the event of an unplanned outage and where fire weather conditions apply, our crews are unable to restore power until bushfire risk eases and a bushfire risk assessment has been conducted. This may increase the frequency and duration of an outage.
During thunderstorms, our priority is responding to reported hazards first to ensure the safety of the community and our crews. Repair work is undertaken once the storm has passed to ensure the safe use of required equipment i.e. elevated work platforms, which cannot be used during dangerous winds.
In the event of an extended power outage during heatwave conditions, WA Health suggest taking the following measures to minimise the effects:
- Keep curtains and blinds closed to keep your home cool.
- Have a cool shower.
- Pull down and close the outdoor shading of your home if applicable.
- Find a cool space inside your home or in the shade outside on the southern side of the building.
- Limit the number of times you open the refrigerator and freezer.
- Consider using a battery-operated personal fan.
- Keep pets inside or in a cool place with enough water.
We work to ensure the network is as resilient as possible and that we are resourced to deal with the impacts of storms and any resulting repair and restoration.
We ask people to be patient if they are experiencing an outage during the challenging conditions ahead.
Western Power is cancelling some planned works that require a planned power outage due to the forecasted severe heatwave conditions. We are communicating with customers regarding cancellations as well as those affected by any essential planned work that needs to be progressed for the safety of the community and crews.
If you see a fallen power line, please stay eight metres away and Make The Safe Call to Western Power on the emergency 24/7 number 13 13 51 so that emergency response crews can attend the hazard to make the area safe.
Stay up to date by visiting our outage information page and emergency.wa.gov.au