{"id":3237,"date":"2026-05-02T05:51:31","date_gmt":"2026-05-02T05:51:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/3237\/"},"modified":"2026-05-02T05:51:31","modified_gmt":"2026-05-02T05:51:31","slug":"storms-rare-fogbows-and-spectacular-sunsets-see-was-best-weather-photos-for-april","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/3237\/","title":{"rendered":"Storms, rare fogbows and spectacular sunsets \u2014 see WA’s best weather photos for April"},"content":{"rendered":"

April delivered a classic autumnal mix of warm beach weather and cool, wet days as we head into winter.\u00a0<\/p>\n

From storms to stunning sunsets, we look back at some of the spectacular photographs sent in by ABC readers from across the state.<\/p>\n

North vs South\u00a0<\/p>\n

It was a calm start to the month in Western Australia, with the state’s split weather personality on full display.\u00a0<\/p>\n

While the northern half baked under the warm sun, the south was blanketed by cloud which produced rain in some parts.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A sunrise at Lake Ballard in the Goldfields.\u00a0 (Supplied: Steve Hutchins)<\/p>\n

Perth felt the temperature extremes over the Easter long weekend, reaching a mostly sunny 29 degrees Celsius on Good Friday and dropping to 18.6C by Monday, the perfect excuse to stay in with tea and leftover chocolate.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Star Swamp in North Beach in Perth on Good Friday morning.\u00a0 (Supplied: Neil Treasure\u00a0)<\/p>\n

Chilly mornings<\/p>\n

As April went on, the overnight lows gradually dropped.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Rowers along the Canning River braved a chilly 9.8 degree morning on April 8 to squeeze in some exercise at the crack of dawn.<\/p>\n

\"row<\/p>\n

Rowers glide over the Canning River on a cool morning.\u00a0 (Supplied: Sylvia Backer)<\/p>\n

It was one of a handful of mornings that got below 10 degrees.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The morning of April 22 will be one to remember for folks in Newdegate and Wandering who woke to a frosty minimum below one degree.<\/p>\n

Perth also experienced its coldest morning since October, dropping to just 7.2 degrees.<\/p>\n

There were also notable cool maximum temperatures in April, with Swanbourne reaching a record low April maximum of 16.4C, and the Perth Metro having its second-coldest April day at the Mount Lawley site with a temperature of 16.8C.<\/p>\n

Despite the brisk weather, we received plenty of impressive sunrise photos.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Two<\/p>\n

Surfers enjoy a spectacular sunrise in Exmouth.\u00a0 (Supplied: Naomi Mallin)<\/p>\n

\"Nine<\/p>\n

Swimmers flock to Avalon Beach in Mandurah at dawn.\u00a0 (Supplied: Leonie Birch)<\/p>\n

Dry first half for Perth\u00a0<\/p>\n

The second week of April was pleasant, with summer-like conditions sticking around for much of the south.<\/p>\n

It was lovely beach weather for one of our viewers, Andy Burrows, who enjoyed the sunset with his dog Loki.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Loki strikes a pose at sunset at Yallingup Beach. (Supplied: Andy Burrows)<\/p>\n

With no rain recorded in Perth for the first fortnight, the mostly sunny days made for an optimal time to explore the verdant Perth Hills.<\/p>\n

\"sun<\/p>\n

Sunlight and clouds above Wungong in the Perth Hills.\u00a0 (Supplied: Stephen Thomas)<\/p>\n

The settled autumn weather prompted authorities to conduct their usual prescribed burns for Perth and parts of the south.\u00a0<\/p>\n

While there were smoke warnings for some areas of the state, the haze made for colourful sunrises, enjoyed here by Jane Spurgeon and her aptly named pup Ember.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The sun rises over Busselton in mid-April.\u00a0 (Supplied: Jane Spurgeon)<\/p>\n

Storms arrive\u00a0<\/p>\n

The middle of the month marked a distinct change in the weather, after a trough along the west coast became active, producing thunderstorms on Wednesday, April 14.<\/p>\n

It was the first burst of rainfall for Perth for the month, and it came hard and fast, most of it falling in an hour between 6:30am and 7.30am.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The storm was captured dramatically here by Ryan O\u2019Connell, who was flying from Jandakot to Cue when the sky put on a light show.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Lightning<\/p>\n

Lightning cracks around a plane travelling from Jandakot to Cue.\u00a0 (Supplied: Ryan O’Connell)<\/p>\n

The rain from those storms added to the wettest day for the month, which was in the 24 hours to 9am on April 15, when 11.6mm fell.<\/p>\n

Then came a series of cold fronts moving through the state\u2019s South West, marking the start of a more active rain season.<\/p>\n

The first major storm brought winds exceeding 100 kilometres an hour, leaving a trail of damage throughout southern WA<\/a>, with a roof ripped off a house in Bunbury and multiple other properties reporting damage.<\/p>\n

\"<\/p>\n

A roof has been ripped off this house in East Bunbury during a storm on Monday night. (ABC South West WA: Madigan Landry)<\/p>\n

The Bureau of Meteorology said there was not enough evidence to conclusively determine if the powerful system was a tornado or microburst.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

The fronts that followed didn\u2019t pack the same punch but dumped enough rain to give the lawns a decent drink.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile further east, the Goldfields and Esperance regions were also putting on a dramatic show, with storms firing off.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Grey<\/p>\n

A storm over Lucky Bay in Esperance.\u00a0 (Supplied: Sharn Trutt\u00a0)<\/p>\n

The rainfall brought Esperance to a monthly total of 65.6 millimetres, nearly double its average rainfall for April.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile Laverton recorded more than triple its average with just a handful of rainy days totalling 62.8mm.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Sunset at Window Rock in Green Head in the Mid West.\u00a0 (Supplied: John Koch\u00a0)<\/p>\n

Taking stock of the total rain in the first two months of autumn \u2014 spanning March and April \u2014 we’ve had 110.4mm so far, which is almost double the 56.2mm long-term average.<\/p>\n

Rainbows and fogbows\u00a0<\/p>\n

We were also treated to some lovely shots of the rainbows that followed the light drizzles in Perth, and a rare ghostly white ‘fogbow’.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Grass,<\/p>\n

A rainbow over Brighton Beach in Perth.\u00a0 (Supplied)<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A fogbow in Tenterden in the Great Southern.\u00a0 (Supplied: Elly Landridge)<\/p>\n

After a week of cold fronts shaking things up, conditions settled over the ANZAC Day long weekend.<\/p>\n

We had some crisp temperatures around for the dawn service, but the sun quickly warmed things up during the day.<\/p>\n

\"Three<\/p>\n

Sunrise in Albany for the ANZAC Day dawn service.\u00a0 (Supplied: Tania Wood\u00a0)<\/p>\n

Before we had the chance to fully appreciate the sunny weather over the weekend, we were thrown back into the cold and wet conditions.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

A trough and large cloud band dragged tropical moisture across a big chunk of the state, producing showers and storms across western and southern parts.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Lower King in Albany shrouded in thick fog.\u00a0 (Supplied: Clodagh Irwin\u00a0)<\/p>\n

The rainfall helped push Perth above its long-term April rainfall average, with the city now sitting at a healthy 37.8mm.\u00a0<\/p>\n

And on the last day of April, Perth and the South West Land Division woke up to a very foggy morning resulting from high moisture, low overnight temperatures and light winds, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.<\/p>\n

\"Fog<\/p>\n

The CBD was shrouded in fog on Thursday, which cleared by about 10am. (Supplied: Jasper Reid)<\/p>\n

If you have a great weather photo you’d like to see featured in ABC Perth’s 7PM News or online, send them through to Tabarak at waweather@abc.net.au.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"April delivered a classic autumnal mix of warm beach weather and cool, wet days as we head into…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3238,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[1572,1381,4444,4445,2821,335,463,2827,4446,4442,4441,4443,4439,2850,4440,4431,464,338,353],"class_list":{"0":"post-3237","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-perth","8":"tag-april","9":"tag-autumn","10":"tag-average-rainfall","11":"tag-average-temperatures","12":"tag-fog","13":"tag-perth","14":"tag-perth-news","15":"tag-perth-weather","16":"tag-photography","17":"tag-rain","18":"tag-rainbow","19":"tag-showers","20":"tag-storms","21":"tag-sunrise","22":"tag-sunset","23":"tag-temperature","24":"tag-wa-news","25":"tag-weather","26":"tag-western-australia"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3237","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3237"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3237\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3238"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3237"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3237"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3237"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}