A supercell system that unleashed a tornado through one of Perth’s most exclusive suburbs caught weather agencies off guard and left them with “very little scope” to warn the public what was coming.

Residents said it sounded like a jet engine was roaring through City Beach just after 5.30pm on Wednesday as the storm brought down trees, peeled roofs off homes and launched debris into the sky.

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Tornado rips through Perth suburb of City Beach.

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Its impact was felt broadly across the the metro areas too, with emergency services fielding more than 110 calls for help — mostly for flooding and water leaks.

The Bureau of Meteorology said general winds across the city in the lead-up had been “fairly benign”, and the 87km/h gusts in Ocean Reef and Rottnest were below the warning threshold.

“This was a very localised feature,” meteorologist Jessica Lingard said of the tornado.

“We only saw it popping up on the radar right as it formed right off the coastline and that provides us very little scope to provide warnings.

“The bureau doesn’t tend to issue warnings for tornadoes themselves unless we do have evidence of a tornado on radar and expect conditions across an area to remain unchanged...”

The supercell tornado began as a waterspout off the coast before crossing onto land and leaving its mark on City Beach.

The bureau does not have observational equipment in the area but it is estimated to have unleashed winds speeds in excess of 100km/h.

“The cell then continued to move in an east to southeasterly direction through the areas of Perth and South Perth, also causing some damage around the Rivervale area,” Lingard said.

“During this time between 5pm and 6pm we did see some heavier rainfall totals both at Kings Park and at South Perth, both with totals of rainfall over 70mm.”

Southwest WA records about five tornadoes each cold season, and nationally there are between 30 and 80 every year.

“We don’t tend to see waterspouts making that sea to land transition very often - it’s a fairly rare occurrence,” Lingard said.

“If there is going to be a waterspout that forms it tends to stay over the ocean.

“Similarly if we are expecting to see a tornado form we’re likely to see it forming over the land, moving over land and then dying over the land.”

Resident spent Wednesday evening and Thursday surveying the damage and beginning the cleanup, while others were thankful not to have been hurt.

“I heard a massive explosion, bang. I thought, ‘oh, my roof’s gone,” City Beach local John Major said.

“Then I heard my wife was screaming inside the house.

“If this (debris) had gone another six inches to the side, this would have impaled my wife’s head.”

Major said the storm lasted only minutes but packed a heavy punch.

“I’ve never experienced anything like this,” he said.

“It was almost as if you were stood behind a jet engine.

“(It) disappeared as quickly as it came.”