Product Code: IDCKGC51R0

Wednesday 3 January, 2007

Annual Western Australia Climate Summary 2006
A year of extremes

In Brief

Western Australia's annual mean maximum temperature for 2006 was slightly above the standard 1961−90 average (0.2°C anomaly averaged across WA), while the annual mean minimum temperature was near average (−0.01°C anomaly). An active tropical cyclone season resulted in cooler daytime temperatures through the state early in the year with January being WA's 2nd coolest January on record However, daytime temperatures became warmer than average from May and this pattern persisted for the remainder of the year with August 2006 easily the warmest August on record for WA , and November also a record high. The August to December period across WA was significantly hotter than any such period since 1950.

The average annual rainfall total, for Western Australia as a whole, was 485 mm, which is the 8th wettest year since 1900. The above average statewide annual rainfall was the result of an exceptionally wet year across the north Kimberley, Pilbara, inland Gascoyne and Interior districts, however this masked the well below average totals near the west coast and southwest corner of WA. Areas near Geraldton, the Perth Metropolitan area and between Bunbury and Cape Naturaliste experienced their driest year on record.

Extremes

Records

Notes

This statement has been prepared based on information available at 9 am on Wednesday 3 January, 2007. Some checks have been made on the data, but it is possible that results will change as new information becomes available.

Normals are based on observations from all available years of record, which vary widely from site to site. They are not shown for sites with less than 30 years of record, as they cannot then be calculated reliably.

Further information