Debris was sent flying into backyards and roofs ripped off properties as the wild weather caught residents by surprise.

A water spout turned into a tornado as it hit land about 5.30pm yesterday, wreaking havoc across City Beach. 

WA sees about three to five tornadoes every cold season but they’re rare in Perth.

This one first appeared as a water spout about 5.30pm off City Beach before hitting land and becoming a tornado.

They form from rotating air along the boundary of a cold front or thunderstorm.

As the air starts to rise through the atmosphere, it stretches and spins faster and faster, resulting in a tornado.

It can form in two different scenarios, super-cell or non-super-cell tornado. Forecasters say it’s likely this one was a variation of a super cell.

“It appeared on our radar just as it developed near the coast, giving us minimal time for issuing alerts,” stated Jessica Lingard, a meteorologist from the Bureau of Meteorology.