The 1995 Christmas Eve Hailstorms over Southern Western Australia

From the afternoon of 23 December 1995 through until Christmas Day 1995, a number of severe thunderstorms accompanied by damaging winds, large hail and flash flooding occurred over southern districts of Western Australia (WA).  The most severe storms occurred during the afternoon and evening of 24 December 1995.  Two of the most severe hailstorms that day tracked eastwards approximately 50 km apart through farming country to the northeast of Perth.  In order to differentiate the two, the northernmost of these will be referred to as the Dalwallinu storm and the southernmost as the Moora storm.(See track of the storms)

Hailstones associated with the two storms were amongst the largest recorded in WA in recent decades.  The average size of the hail was that of golf balls, but there were isolated reports of hail estimated to be up to softball size associated with the Dalwallinu storm.  Hailstones flattened wheat crops, smashed car and truck windows and punched holes through roofing tiles.  A number of foxes and rabbits were killed and numerous farm animals were injured.  Flash flooding drowned animals, flattened fences and caused farm dams to burst.  Severe winds tore metal sheeting from sheds and uprooted trees.  There were no reported sightings of tornadoes, however photographs of the Moora storm showed that it was associated with a well defined wall cloud.  The hail damage to crops was estimated to have been at least $4 million and could have been considerably higher except that many of the farms in the path of the storms were nearing completion of harvesting operations.