Australia in June 2024

In brief

• The national area-averaged June rainfall total was 9.2% above the 1961–1990 average.

• Rainfall was above average for much of Western Australia, western and central Queensland and coastal and inland parts of New South Wales.

• Rainfall was below average for southern parts of Australia and south-eastern and northern areas of Queensland.

• Australia's national area-averaged mean temperature was 0.71 °C above the 1961–1990 average.

• Australia's area-averaged mean maximum temperature for June was 0.90 °C above the 1961–1990 average and the mean minimum temperature was 0.52 °C above average.

• Mean maximum temperatures were above average for western, inland and northern areas of Australia.

• Mean minimum temperatures were below average for northern and eastern parts of Australia. Mean minimum temperatures were above average for the southern two-thirds of Western Australia and most of South Australia.

Further information and tables of records for each state and the Northern Territory can be found in the individual regional climate summaries, published on 3 July 2024.

Temperatures

Australia's national area-averaged mean temperature for June was 0.71 °C above the 1961–1990 average.

For Western Australia, it was the eighth-warmest June on record, with the area-averaged mean temperature 1.17 °C above average. 

Australia's area-averaged mean maximum temperature was 0.90 °C above average.

Mean maximum temperatures were above average to very much above average (in the highest 10% of all Junes since 1910) for much of the Northern Territory, Western Australia and Queensland, western and central South Australia and isolated pockets of northern Tasmania and south-east New South Wales.

Mean maximum temperatures were below average for areas of northern and inland New South Wales and south-eastern South Australia.

Australia's area-averaged mean minimum temperature was 0.52 °C above average.

Mean minimum temperatures were above average to very much above average (in the highest 10% of all Junes since 1910) for the southern two thirds of Western Australia extending towards central South Australia and southern parts of the Northern Territory, southern Tasmania, and an area covering Victoria's East Gippsland and the South Coast of New South Wales. Minimum temperatures were the highest on record for an area inland and the south-east coast of Western Australia.

Mean minimum temperature were below to very much below average (in the lowest 10% of all Junes since 1910) for western and northern Tasmania, most of Victoria, a large area of Queensland extending from the south-east towards northern and western areas, southern and inland New South Wales, eastern parts of the Northern Territory and the Kimberley in Western Australia.

Rank ranges from 1 (lowest) to 115 (highest). A rank marked with ’=‘ indicates the value is tied for that rank. Anomaly is the departure from the long-term (1961–1990) average.

Rainfall

For Australia as a whole, the area-averaged rainfall total for June was 9.2% above the 1961–1990 average.

Rainfall was above average to very much above average (in the highest 10% of Junes since 1900) for much of Western Australia excluding an area of the south-west, Northern Territory's central west and east, coastal and surrounding inland areas of New South Wales, East Gippsland in Victoria, an area of north-eastern South Australia and western and central parts of Queensland. Rainfall was the highest on record for areas of the Central West in Western Australia.

Rainfall was below to very much below average (in the lowest 10% of Junes since 1900) for coastal areas of Tasmania, most of Victoria, southern New South Wales and surrounding inland areas, Queensland's north and south-east, the north-east of the Top End of the Northern Territory, an area of south-west Western Australia and isolated pockets of southern South Australia.

Significant weather and records

Coastal rain for New South Wales

A coastal low developed and deepened off the New South Wales coast on the 1st, generating widespread rainfall across coastal and adjacent inland areas. In the 24 hours to 9 am on the 2nd, large areas of coastal New South Wales recorded falls of 15 to 50 mm. The highest falls were concentrated across the Sydney Metropolitan area, with widespread daily rainfall totals of 50 mm to 100 mm, and higher locally. Several sites had their daily rainfall record for June, including Randwick (Randwick St) with 154.0 mm and Sydney Botanic Gardens with 159. 5 mm.

The heavy rainfall led to localised flash flooding in areas of Sydney, with over 100 calls for assistance to the New South Wales State Emergency Services. Significant wave heights exceeded 5 m off the Sydney coast, the largest in the region for more than a year.

The following week, a low pressure system off the New South Wales coast generated widespread rainfall and localised heavy falls across coastal and adjacent inland areas. Multi-day rainfall totals between the 6th and 8th across Sydney, the Illawarra, Hunter and Southern and Central Tablelands exceeded 50 mm with isolated falls over 200 mm in the Illawarra. 

Flood watches and warnings were issued for the coast from the Hunter to the South Coast districts including a Moderate Flood Warning for the Hawkesbury and Nepean Rivers.

This further heavy rainfall over a 48 hour period had significant impacts, including over hundreds of calls for assistance to the New South Wales State Emergency Services, over 60 flood rescues in the Illawarra, South Coast and Sydney Metropolitan area, flash flooding in many areas and warnings to watch and act or prepare to evacuate for residents in low-lying areas, roads were also closed, and homes were inundated.

Cold fronts cross south-west Western Australia

Several cold fronts moved across south-west Western Australia early in the month bringing widespread rainfall, triggering isolated thunderstorms and strong to damaging wind gusts.

On the 1st a strong cold front crossed south-west Western Australia, triggering widespread rainfall and locally severe thunderstorms with strong to damaging winds across coastal areas. Wind gusts exceeded 80 km/h in the South West district, causing damage to homes and buildings in the area, emergency services received calls for assistance and more than 8000 homes were left without power near Bunbury and Donnybrook and roads were closed due to fallen trees.

A severe weather warning was issued for on the 6th, as a cold front approached the south-west triggering severe thunderstorms accompanied with damaging winds gusts and widespread rainfall with localised heavy rainfall. Wind gusts exceeded 50 km/hr across Perth with overnight rainfall totals of 25 to 100 mm and Bickley, east of Perth recorded 75 mm of rainfall.  This system led to flash flooding in some areas, power outages in Perth inner city suburbs and damage to some buildings and homes around Perth. Several days later another cold front moved across south-west Western Australia, bringing widespread rainfall to the region with 10 to 50 mm of rainfall and some isolated falls of 50 to 100 mm in the Central West district in the 24 hours to 9 am on the 9th

Cloud-band across the central west of Western Australia

During the month a series of cloud bands extending from the Indian Ocean towards inland areas of Western Australia brought several days of widespread and particularly heavy falls in the Pilbara, Gascoyne and Central West regions.

Between the 17th and 26th, troughs and associated cloud bands brought several days of rainfall unseasonal rainfall.  Daily rainfall totals between the 18th to 20th were generally 15 to 50 mm across parts of the region and locally higher in some areas. On the 27th, up to 25 mm of rainfall was recorded across the region and falls greater than 50 mm in coastal areas of the Central West district.

Many sites across the region received their June average rainfall totals within one or several days from these systems. Kalbarri, in the Gascoyne, recorded 72.4 mm to 9 am on the 27th, its highest June daily rainfall on record. Kalbarri also recorded a June rainfall total of 305.6 mm, four times the June average and its highest rainfall for any month in 53 years of records. Parts of the Gascoyne had its highest June monthly rainfall on record since 1900.

Cold mornings for eastern Australia

Clear skies and light winds from a high pressure system in the Great Australian Bight combined with a cooler southerly airflow from a stationary low pressure system in the Tasman Sea generated cooler than average minimum temperatures for much of Victoria, New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory, Tasmania and Queensland for several days between the 18th to 20th.

Minimum temperatures on the 18th and 19th were 2 to 6 °C below the June average for much of Victoria, New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory, Tasmania and Queensland, with areas in central Queensland 6 to 10 °C below the June average on the 18th. Several sites recorded their lowest minimum temperature for June on the 18th, including Tambo Post Office (Queensland) at -5.6 °C (68 years of record).  On the 19th several sites across Victoria and northern Tasmania also recorded their lowest June minimum temperature on record.

Unseasonal rainfall in central Queensland

At the end of the month a low pressure trough extending over central and southern Queensland drew in moisture from the Coral Sea generating widespread and locally heavy rainfall across coastal and central areas. During this time of the year central parts of Queensland are generally dry with average June rainfall of 10 to 25 mm. However, in the 3 days to 9 am on the 28th rainfall totals across the area were 25 to 100 mm.

Most of the rain fell on the 27th when many sites received more than their average June rainfall. Several records were set including 68.0 mm at Woodbine Station (118 years of record); the average June rainfall for this station is 20.4 mm.

Rank ranges from 1 (lowest) to 125 (highest). A rank marked with ’=‘ indicates the value is tied for that rank. Departure from mean is relative to the long-term (1961–1990) average.