Wednesday, 1 April 2020 - Monthly Climate Summary for Western Australia - Product code IDCKGC11R0

Western Australia in March 2020: mixed rainfall in the north

Rainfall in March 2020 was near average for much of Western Australia. Areas of above average rainfall were scattered about the north and along the south coast, while below average rainfall was evident in the north Kimberley, east Pilbara and State's interior. Mean minimum temperatures were generally above average apart from the northeast, and State's mean minimum temperature was the tenth-highest for March on record. Mean maximum temperatures were generally above average for the northern half, though they were near average for the southern half of the State.

Mixed rainfall in the north and central WA

• Western Australian March rainfall was 23% below average
• Ex-TC Esther produced significant rainfall of between 100 mm and 200 mm in the inland southern Kimberley and Northern Interior in early March, including several March daily rainfall records on the 1st, resulting in above March average rainfall in those regions
• A weak tropical low moved across the west Pilbara and northwestern Gascoyne and produced moderate to locally heavy rainfall up to 60 mm along its path on the 12th and 13th
• A low pressure system and a cold front produced moderate rainfall to the State's southwest in mid-March; a number of sites had their wettest March since 1998
• A cloudband brought moderate rainfall to the southeast on the 22nd and 23rd; Eucla had its wettest March since 2000
• A broad area from the east Pilbara to the Southern Interior and Goldfields districts, as well as the western Gascoyne received no rainfall or less than 10 mm in March, which was below or well below their March average rainfall

Warm days in the north

• The mean maximum temperature was 1.34 °C above average for Western Australia
• Above average mean maximum temperatures were observed in much of the northern half of WA; Mount Elizabeth in the Kimberley plateau had its warmest March days on record, and Mandora in the far west Kimberley had its warmest March days for 34 years
• Very hot days with temperature of 40 °C or above were prevalent in the inland Pilbara, and a number of sites had long runs of 40 °C days from mid-March
• Telfer Aero had 19 consecutive 40 °C days from the 13th to 31st , exceeded its previous March record of 18 consecutive days from 1 to 18 March 2016 and from 13 to 30 March 2009; a total count of 23 days of 40 °C or above in March at Telfer Aero equalled its March record set in 2016
• Giles in the State's eastern border recorded its late season highest temperature on the 29th with 39.5 °C, and its previous late season record was 38.6  °C on 29 March 2018
• The mean minimum temperature was 1.12 °C above average for WA, the tenth-highest on record
• Telfer Aero recorded a minimum temperature 31.9 °C on the 18th, which was its highest minimum temperature for March on record, but also the late season record

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