Thursday, 5 January 2017 - Annual Climate Summary for Perth - Product code IDCKGC51L0

Perth in 2016: a cool year

Annual mean maximum temperatures in 2016 were below average across the Perth metropolitan area, and it was the coolest year for over a decade at most sites. Annual mean minimum temperatures were mostly near average. Rainfall was near average, but it was the wettest year for three years for most sites.

Rainfall mostly near average

  • The wettest year for three years for most sites with annual rainfall between 600 mm and 800 mm on the coastal plain and islands, and between 1000 mm and 1100 mm in the hills
  • Perth Metro annual rainfall was 715.8 mm, about 130 mm below the long-term average, though higher than totals in 2015 or 2014

Cooler daytime temperatures

  • Maximum temperatures were below average across Perth area
  • Bickley had its equal lowest annual mean maximum temperature on record, whilst Perth Metro and Perth Airport recorded their coolest year since 2005
  • A spell of four days with maximum temperatures at Perth Metro of 40 °C or higher between 7 and 10 February 2016 was the equal-longest such hot spell since records at Perth Metro commenced in 1897, equalling the hot spell from 7 to 10 February 1933
  • Minimum temperatures were close to average overall, despite most sites in the metropolitan area recording their coldest winter for over 20 years
  • Perth Metro recorded its coldest year in terms of annual mean minumum temperature since 2010

Further information

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Extremes Records Summaries Important notes the top

Extremes in 2016
Hottest day 45.1 °C at Pearce RAAF on 10 Feb
Warmest days on average 25.0 °C at Pearce RAAF
Coolest days on average 21.7 °C at Bickley
Coldest day 10.7 °C at Bickley on 8 Aug
Coldest night -1.6 °C at Jandakot Aero on 13 Jul
Coolest nights on average 11.0 °C at Bickley
Warmest nights on average 15.3 °C at Rottnest Island
13.8 °C at Swanbourne
Warmest night 28.4 °C at Gosnells City on 8 Jan
Warmest on average overall 18.6 °C at Rottnest Island
18.5 °C at Swanbourne
Coolest on average overall 16.3 °C at Bickley
Wettest overall 1122.7 mm at Karnet
Driest overall 600.2 mm at Garden Island HSF
673.2 mm at Perth Airport
Wettest day 71.0 mm at Armadale on 11 Jul
Strongest wind gust 109 km/h at Rottnest Island on 21 May

Extremes Records Summaries Important notes the top

Record lowest annual mean daily maximum temperature
New record
(°C)		 Old
record		 Years of
record		 Annual
average
Bickley 21.7 = 21.7 in 2005 22 22.6


Extremes Records Summaries Important notes the top

Summary statistics for 2016
Maximum temperatures
(°C)		 Minimum temperatures
(°C)		 Rainfall
(millimetres)
Mean
for
2016		 Diff
from
average		 Highest
for
2016		 Mean
for
2016		 Diff
from
average		 Lowest
for
2016		 Total
for
2016		 Average
annual
total		 Rank
of
2016		 Fraction
of annual
average
Bickley 21.7 -0.9 40.9 10 Feb 11.0 -0.3 1.5 13 Jul 1085.6 1076.8 average 101%
Garden Island HSF 21.9 -0.9 41.3 8 Feb 14.6 -0.4 6.0 13 Jul 600.2 598.2 average 100%
Gosnells City 24.7 -0.9 42.8 8 Feb     1.6 13 Jul
Jandakot Aero 24.0 -0.6 43.3 21 Dec 11.5 +0.1 -1.6 13 Jul 794.2 823.5 average 96%
Pearce RAAF 25.0 -0.2 45.1 10 Feb 11.7 -0.5 0.5 13 Jul 739.4 653.0 high 113%
Perth Airport 24.4 -0.1 43.0 7 Jan 12.1 -0.1 0.9 24 Jul 673.2 766.1 low 88%
Perth Metro 24.2 -0.6 42.5 8 Feb 12.7 -0.1 0.6 13 Jul 715.8 844.9 low 85%
Rottnest Island 21.9 -0.4 40.6 8 Feb 15.3 -0.4 8.0 19 Sep 612.0 572.0 average 107%
Swanbourne 23.1 -1.1 42.8 8 Feb 13.8 -0.1 3.4 13 Jul 831.4 726.5 high 114%
Note: Observations for “Perth Metro” are taken from the current site at Mount Lawley (Bureau number 009225).
Comparisons are made against combined data from the current site (which opened in early 1993) and the previous site at Perth Regional Office (009034), which ran from 1876 to early 1992.

Extremes Records Summaries Important notes the top

Notes

The Annual climate summary, generally published on the second working day of the year, lists the main features of the weather in Perth using the most timely and accurate information available on the date of publication; it will generally not be updated. More extensive discussion of significant weather events, along with later information and data that has had greater opportunity for quality control, will be presented in the Monthly Weather Review.

This statement has been prepared based on information available at 9 am on Tuesday 3 January 2017. Some checks have been made on the data, but it is possible that results will change as new information becomes available.

Averages for individual sites are long-term means 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 10 years of record, as they cannot then be calculated reliably.
The median is sometimes more representative than the mean of long-term average rain.

Observations for “Perth Metro” are taken from the current site at Mount Lawley (Bureau number 009225).
Comparisons are made against combined data from the current site (which opened in early 1993) and the previous site at Perth Regional Office (009034), which ran from 1876 to early 1992.

The Rank indicates how rainfall this time compares with the climate record for the site, based on the decile ranking (very low rainfall is in decile 1, low in decile 2 or 3, average in decile 4 to 7, high in decile 8 or 9 and very high is in decile 10).
The Fraction of average shows how much rain has fallen this time as a percentage of the long-term mean.

Where temperature area averages are mentioned, they are derived from the ACORN-SAT dataset.

Further information

Media
(03) 9669 4057
Enquiries