On 23 and 24 May 1994, Perth, Mandurah and south-western Western Australia experienced strong land gales gusting up to 140 km per hour. Several houses were completely unroofed and damage occurred to approximately 600 houses with different levels of severity. Damage to electricity infrastructure resulted in widespread loss of power to the Perth area lasting up to a week in some instances. Substantial financial losses were incurred by commerce and industry.

Huge seas and tides caused significant erosion to beaches, and parts of the Perth river foreshore were inundated. Fremantle recorded 25 wind gusts of at least 129 km per hour, more than three times the number recorded for any event since the 1960s. 

The Insurance Council of Australia estimated the 1994 damange at $37 million, with the 2011 estimated normalised cost of $187 million.