Friday, 1 May 2020 - Monthly Climate Summary for Western Australia - Product code IDCKGC11R0

Western Australia in April 2020: very warm and dry

April was a very warm and dry for Western Australia. Most of the State saw above average mean maximum and minimum temperatures, with the month being the fifth–highest mean maximum temperature and second–highest mean minimum temperature on record for the State as a whole. Rainfall was below average in the western and southern WA, and only wet patches were observed in the Kimberley and Pilbara coast.

Below average rainfall in the west and south of WA

• The western and southern WA recorded little or less than 10 mm in April apart from the southwest, several sites in the Gascoyne, Great Southern and Eucla either had their driest April on record or driest April since 1995
• An area in the Kimberley saw above average rainfall which was largely due to showers and thunderstorms with isolated 50–60 mm falls on the 7th and 8th; Yulmbu's 58.8 mm on the 7th was its highest April daily rainfall on record

Above average daytime and overnight temperatures across most the State

• Western Australia mean temperature was 2.39 °C above average, which was the second–warmest April on record and behind the record (+2.61 °C) in April 2005
• WA mean maximum temperature was 2.53 °C above average, which was the fifth–warmest April on record
• Many new April temperature records were registered in various locations during the month, and starting in the north and east Kimberley on the 4th and 5th
• Daytime temperatures in the State's southwest were persistently warm from the 7th and peaked on the 11th when daily maxima reached the high thirties to low forties and April temperature records set in and around Perth area
• The heat moved east and led to several new April temperature records in the South East Coast, southern Goldfields and Southern Interior districts between the 12th and 15th
• For many locations in the Pilbara and Kimberley districts, hot temperatures had not eased and had even intensified for some in later parts of the month; Broome Airport and Pardoo Station had their highest April temperature on the 23rd, while Mardie's 42.8 °C on the 23rd was the nation–wide highest temperature of the month
• Mandora in the far west Kimberley coast recorded two consecutive days with temperatures of 42 °C or above, which were 42.1 °C on the 25th (Anzac Day) and 42.0 °C on the 26th, the first time that Australia had a 42.0 °C post Anzac Day
• WA mean minimum temperature was 2.25 °C above average, which was the second-warmest April on record and behind the record (+2.35 °C) in April 2005
• The month started with a number of record high April minimum temperatures in the Kimberley; Argyle Aerodrome's 31.1 °C on the 2nd was the national highest April minimum temperature on record, and the previous record was 31.0 °C om 4 April 1986 at Roebourne
• The month finished with two cold nights and a number of record low temperatures in the south
• A minimum of -0.4 °C at Wandering (Great Southern) on the 29th was the State lowest temperature of the month, while a minimum of 0.0 °C at Norseman Aero on the 30th was the first freezing temperature in April at Norseman with records going back to 1957

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 lower value has gone unreported

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top