Rain to hang around

BUNBURY was subjected to strong gusts of wind and plenty of rain overnight, with conditions likely to hang around for most of this week.

According to the Bureau of Meteorology, 16mm of rain fell in Bunbury between 1.30pm on Sunday and 9am today. The wettest period was the 90 minutes between 1.30pm to 3pm during which a quarter of the total rainfall fell.

Wind gusts of 59kmh were recorded at 6.30am yesterday.

BOM spokesman Neil Bennett said although the weekend’s wet and windy weather conditions were the first for the winter season, it was not unusual for this time of the year and was likely to be the start of what could be expected until September.

“We are seeing a change now, we had a long dry spell,” Mr Bennett said.

He said showers were expected this morning before clearing later in the day and drying up for Wednesday. However, by Thursday, weather conditions were likely to be wet again, with Mr Bennett expecting rain for the rest of the week.

“What’s coming in from the South West will bring moisture and showers through Saturday and Sunday,” he said.

Despite wet and windy conditions, the Bunbury SES was called to just one preventative incident in Carey Park to remove an awning that had been hitting a window at 7.43pm on Sunday. Officials had completed the job by 9.10pm.