Tuesday, 6 January 2015 - Annual Climate Summary for Western Australia - Product code IDCKGC51R0

Western Australia in 2014: Warmest year on record

Western Australia recorded its warmest year on record in 2014, in terms of the mean maximum temperature, and saw its ninth-warmest year on record in terms of the mean minimum temperature. The State as a whole recorded above average rainfall in 2014, however below average rainfall was reported for the Southwest Land Division (SWLD).

• State-wide mean maximum temperature highest on record; highest on record for southwest WA
• State-wide mean minimum temperature tenth-highest on record; fourth-highest on record for southwest WA
• WA monthly mean maximum temperatures consistently above average from March to December
• WA monthly mean minimum temperatures only below average in February, June, and July
• State-wide rainfall above average
• Below-average rainfall for the SWLD

Western Australia's statewide average maximum temperature was 1.17 °C above the historical mean in 2014, the highest since comparable records commenced in 1910 exceeding the record of 1.11 °C set in 2013. The year started with near-average temperatures for WA in January and February, but then saw the eighth-warmest autumn on record, the third-warmest winter, the warmest spring on record, and an above average December. Almost all of the State recorded above average mean annual maximum temperatures in 2014, and sites in the Pilbara, Gascoyne, Central Wheat Belt, Great Southern, and Southeast Coastal registered their warmest or equal-warmest year on record. In the Lower Southwest (southwest of a line from Jurien Bay to Bremer Bay), the mean annual maximum temperature was 1.28 °C above the historical mean, the highest annual mean maximum temperature on record, exceeding the previous highest with an anomaly of 1.27 °C in 2010. The monthly mean maximum temperature for the Lower Southwest was above the average for all months in 2014.

The annual mean minimum temperature averaged across the State was the tenth-highest on record (+0.52 °C anomaly), whilst the Lower Southwest recorded its fourth-warmest year on record in terms of overnight temperatures. Most of WA saw above to very much above average mean minimum temperatures in 2014, with a few sites in the eastern Central Wheat Belt and Goldfields recording their warmest or equal warmest year on record. In contrast, much of the Kimberley, the eastern Northern Interior, and far northeast Southern Interior recorded near average or below average mean minima for 2014.

The statewide average rainfall for 2014 was 406 mm, 19% above the historical average. Rainfall was generally above average across northern, central, and eastern WA in 2014, and Rawlinna Depot in the Eucla registered its wettest year in 44 years of record. However, western parts of the State generally recorded below average rainfall in 2014 and some sites near the west coast, as well as sites near the southern SWLD coast, recorded rainfall totals in their lowest 10% of records, whilst some saw their driest year for at least 20 years. The SWLD as a whole recorded below average rainfall in 2014. In most months during the year, rainfall was near average to above average for the State as a whole, however March, June, and August received below average rainfall through much of WA, and winter rainfall for the State was tenth-lowest on record.

Intense tropical lows moved through WA in January and February 2014 bringing significant rainfall to large parts of the State, whilst two tropical cyclones (Gillian in March and Jack in April) developed in the Indian Ocean well west of WA. No tropical cyclones impacted the WA coastline in the 2014 calendar year, the first year this has occurred since 1951.

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top

Notable events in 2014

• Ex-Tropical cyclone Christine brought damaging winds and moderate to heavy rainfall to central and southeastern WA on 1 and 2 January.
• Very high temperatures impacted western parts of the State between 10 and 12 January with a number of sites in the SWLD experiencing their hottest January days and nights on record. A bushfire was reported in Parkerville, about 30km east of Perth on the 12th, destroying 57 houses in the townships of Parkerville, Stoneville, and Mount Helena, and one fatality was attributed to the event.
• An intense tropical low and associated cloudband produced widespread showers, thunderstorms, and heavy rain over northern, central, and southeastern WA between 16 and 23 January, and several sites in the Gascoyne, Goldfields, and Eucla broke their highest daily rainfall record during this event.
• A slow moving tropical low tracked through northern, central, and southeast WA from 7 to 14 February, causing widespread heavy rainfall, including a two-day total (7th and 8th) of 553 mm at Micromave Tower, an unofficial observing site near Kununurra. A number of sites in the Kimberley, Southern Interior, and Eucla registered their highest daily rainfall in February on record during the event, and Kununurra Aerodrome (163.8 mm) and Cygnet Bay (269.4 mm), both in the Kimberley, recorded their highest daily falls for any month.
• Locations near the west coast of WA experienced a very long dry spell which ran from mid-spring or early summer 2013 to early or mid-autumn 2014. A record 105 consecutive rainless days was reported at Mandurah in the Lower West, whilst Kalbarri in the Central West had a record dry spell of 186 days from 21 October 2013 to 24 April 2014 with a total rainfall of only 0.8 mm during that period on two rain days.
• Troughton Island in the north Kimberley broke both its minimum and maximum temperature records for June on the 1st. The minimum temperature of 27.3 °C was the highest minimum temperature on record for June in Australia, exceeding the previous record of 27.2 °C at Cockatoo Island (northeast of the Dampier Peninsula in the Kimberley) on 1 June 1971.
• Two cold fronts produced widespread showers, isolated thunderstorms, and squally winds in southern WA from 6 to 8 July, with a maximum wind gust of 124 km/h at Cape Naturaliste, the highest wind gust recorded in WA in 2014. About 26,000 homes in the Lower West and South West lost power during the event; a tornado was sighted near Balingup, a Bunbury hotel roof was damaged.
• A deep middle level trough combined with a surface trough to produce extremely heavy rainfall on the Dampier Peninsula in the Kimberley on 12 and 13 July. A daily rainfall of 215.0 mm at Cape Leveque on the 13th was WA's wettest July day on record, and a two-day rainfall total of 242.0 mm at Cygnet Bay was more than double its previous highest July monthly rainfall total.
• A strong cold front moved across southwest WA on 14 July and produced heavy showers, thunderstorms, and squally winds causing power outages and significant damage to property. Three tornadoes were reported in the western suburbs of Perth, and two men died tragically when their respirators failed as a result of a power outage. Tornadoes were also reported in Yallingup and Geraldton.
• A strong cold front and associated cut-off low moved across southwest WA on 17 and 18 August, producing thunderstorms, moderate to heavy rainfall and squally winds. In Fremantle port, a container ship broke its moorings during the storm and crashed into the Fremantle rail bridge. A second cargo vessel also broke its moorings and hit a refuelling vessel near the bridge.
• Carnarvon Airport experienced an extraordinarily warm winter in 2014 exceeding the previous winter mean maximum temperature by over 1 °C. The Airport registered its warmest June day on record on 5 June, then broke its previous highest August temperature four times on 12, 13, 25 and 28 August. The mean maximum temperature of 28.2 °C for August at Carnarvon Airport was 2.8 °C higher than its previous August monthly record, and also exceeded the September record, whilst August 2014 was warmer than any of the spring months in 2014. Also of note, Carnarvon Airport recorded a maximum temperature above 30 °C in every month of the year for the first time in its 68 year recording history.
• Bidyadanga recorded a maximum temperature of 45.2 °C on 9 October, the earliest day in spring with a temperature over 45 °C on record in Australia .
• A low pressure system brought widespread thunderstorms and heavy rainfall across central and southern WA between 18 and 20 October. Many sites in the SWLD, as well as Laverton Aerodrome in the Goldfields, recorded their wettest October day on record, whilst a couple of sites in the South Coastal and Great Southern recorded their highest daily fall for any month.
• High minimum temperatures were reported in the west Kimberley in the second half of November and Broome Airport had three nights that exceeded the previous record high minimum temperature for November in 76 years of record.

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top

xtremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top

Maps
	Observed	Anomaly	Decile rank
Total rainfall
Mean daily maximum temperatures
Mean daily minimum temperatures

Click on a map to show it full size in a pop-up window

Monthly maps
	Rainfall rank	Maximum temperature rank	Minimum temperature rank
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December

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* note: there are gaps in the historical record at this site, so it is possible a lower value has gone unreported.

* note: there are gaps in the historical record at this site, so it is possible a higher value has gone unreported.

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top

* note: there are missing data at this site.

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top