Monday, 2 May 2016 - Monthly Climate Summary for Western Australia - Product code IDCKGC11R0

Western Australia in April 2016: Very warm days and nights

For Western Australia, mean maximum temperature in April 2016 was 1.7 °C above normal, and ranked as the ninth-highest on record. The state-wide mean minimum temperature was approximately 1.5 °C above average, and ranked as the sixth-highest on record. Rainfall in April 2016 was near average for Western Australia as a whole, but for the South West Land Division rainfall was above average.

• Ninth-highest mean maximum temperature for WA
• Sixth-highest mean minimum temperature for WA
• Near average rainfall for WA; above average rainfall in South West Land Division
• Driest northern wet season in the Kimberley for 11 years

Below average to very much below average rainfall was reported in parts of the Pilbara, Kimberley, and Northern and Southern Interior in April 2016 as a relatively dry end to the northern west season was reported. In contrast, above average to very much above average rainfall was observed in northern and western parts of the South West Land Division (SWLD), with many locations observing their wettest April for 24 years or longer. For WA as a whole, rainfall in April 2016 was near the long-term average, but for the South West Land Division rainfall for April was above average. In the Kimberley, the rainfall total for the northern wet season (October 2015 to April 2016) averaged across the region was about 556 mm, which is about 100 mm lower than the long-term average, and the driest wet season for 11 years, since 2004-5.

Mean maximum temperatures in April 2016 were above to very much above average over the northern half of the State, with a number of sites in the Kimberley and Pilbara recording their warmest April on record. Most of the southern half of the State had near average mean maximum temperatures, though below average mean maxima were recorded in large parts of the SWLD. For WA as a whole, the mean maximum temperature was 1.7 °C above the long-term average, and ranked as the ninth-highest on record.

Unusually hot days were recorded in north and inland central WA in the first half of the month, particularly from the 3rd to 5th, and on the 9th and 10th, and many sites experienced their hottest day in April on record during these periods. Mardie recorded 13 days in total with temperatures at or above 40 °C, which exceeded its previous April record of 11 such days in 1993 and 2005. Cold days were reported in the far southwest of the State towards the end of the month, with daily maxima in the mid- to low-teens. Rocky Gully in the South Coastal district recorded a daily maximum of 13.4 °C on the 30th, which was the lowest daily maximum temperature of the month in WA, and it was also the coldest April day for eight years since a daily maximum of 12.2 °C was recorded on 19 April 2008 at Rocky Gully.

Apart from near average mean minimum temperatures in the far northeast, most of the State saw above to very much above average mean minimum temperatures. The state-wide mean minimum temperature was approximately 1.5 °C above the long-term average, and ranked as the sixth-highest on record. For the SWLD as a whole, the mean minimum temperature was about 1.7 °C above the average, and also ranked as the sixth-highest on record.

Nights were abnormally warm in northern WA in the first half of the month, with several locations in the Gascoyne and Kimberley setting new records for highest minimum temperature in April. Cold nights were observed in the south towards the end of the month, and Eyre near the Eucla coast recorded the first sub-zero temperature for the year in WA with a minimum of -0.6 °C on the 28th.

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top

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

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* 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

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top