Monday, 2 October 2017 - Monthly Climate Summary for Western Australia - Product code IDCKGC11R0

Western Australia in September 2017: Hot days in the north; mild nights in the west

Rainfall in September was above average in the northwest and parts of the South West Land Division (SWLD) in Western Australia, whilst it was dry with little or no rain in the eastern Goldfields and Kimberley. Averaged across the State, rainfall was slightly above average. Daytime temperatures were above average in the northern and eastern WA resulted in the state-wide mean maximum temperature above average. Overnight temperatures were above average for the western half of WA, while it was cooler than normal in the Kimberley and western Eucla regions. The mean minimum temperature for WA was above average.

Wet in the northwest and parts of SWLD; dry in the eastern Goldfields and Kimberley

• Rainfall averaged across WA was slight above average
• Rainfall for the South West Land Division (SWLD) was near average, but the wettest for 3 years
• Rainfall was above average near the south coast of SWLD; a number of sites either had their wettest September on record, or wettest September for over 50 years
• A few sites in the west Pilbara and Gascoyne either set their new monthly records or being wettest September for at least 20 years, largely due to moderate falls, including a number of daily rainfall records on the 7th and 8th from a cloudband
• Moderate to heavy falls, including a number of records, were recorded in the southwest WA between the 21st and 26th as a complex cut-off low moved across the southwest
  
• Most sites in the Kimberley and eastern Goldfields recorded little or no rainfal

Above average daytime temperatures for most WA; above average overnight temperatures for western half

• Mean maximum temperature for WA was 1.4 °C above average, 17th-highest in September on record
• Mean maximum temperature for SWLD was 0.7 °C above average
• Mean minimum temperature for WA was 0.6 °C above average
• Mean minimum temperature for SWLD was about 1.2 °C above average, 6th-highestin September on record
• Temperatures in the high-30s to low-40s were recorded in the north in mid-to-late September; Onslow Airport and Mount Magnet Aero both recorded their highest September temperature on record
• Learmonth Airport had six consecutive days with maximum temperature of 35 °C or higher between the 15th and 20th, which was its equal longest run of such hot days in September in 42 years of record, equalling a run between 11 and 16 September 1981
• Wet conditions on the 7th had Murchsion (south Gascoyn) experienced its coldest September day on record
• Eyre recorded a minimum temperature of -5.1 °C on the 14th, which is the State's lowest September temperature on record
• Northwesterly winds resulted in minima in the mid-teens in the SWLD on the 21st, with a number of mildest September night records in the Central Wheat Belt and Great Southern
• Overnight temperatures were warmer than normal in the Pilbara; Onslow Airport and Paraburdoo Aero had their record high September mean minimum temperature
• Overnight temperatures were 1 °C to 3 °C cooler than normal in the north and south Kimberley

Severe wind gusts in the south in late September

• A strong cold front produced isolated thunderstorms and severe wind gusts in southern WA during the late morning and early afternoon the 21st. Albany Airport recorded a wind gust of 139 km/h, which was the 3rd-strongest gust recorded at the Airport in 51 years of record, only behind 150 km/h on 4 April 1978, and 143 km/h on 5 April 1978 as ex-TC Alby passed to the west of the State. Many trees were downed in the region as a result of the strong winds, though fortunately property damage was generally minor.

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

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

* 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