Tornado Flips Vehicle, Damages Farms in Southern Western Australia

On June 3, 2025, a rare cold-season tornado struck the Frankland River area in southern Western Australia, flipping a tractor and a ute, injuring a farmer, and damaging farm equipment and trees. The tornado lasted about two minutes and was captured on video by a local farmer who witnessed it forming from a nearby thunderstorm. This event occurred amid a larger weather system bringing severe thunderstorms and golf-ball-sized hail across southern Western Australia, particularly impacting towns like Wagin with roof and vehicle damage. Meteorologists from the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) noted that while tornadoes are less common in Australia than in the U.S., the region experiences 30 to 80 tornadoes annually, with about five reported in Western Australia during the cool season. A low-pressure system passing near the coast is expected to bring heavy rain and further damaging storms to Perth and southern WA, along with frost warnings in parts of South Australia and Victoria. Residents were advised to exercise caution due to ongoing severe weather and dangerous beach conditions forecasted along the east coast.