Monday, 1 February 2021 - Monthly Climate Summary for Western Australia - Product code IDCKGC11R0

Western Australia in January 2021: very warm along the north and west coast

Rainfall was near average for most of Western Australia, and below average in the southwest parts though January is a typically dry month. Parts of the west Kimberley and southeast of the state received above average rainfall. Mean maximum and minimum temperatures were above average along the state's north and west coast. In contrast, parts of southern WA observed below average mean maximum temperatures and the Northern Interior recorded cooler than normal mean minima.

Wet in the west Kimberley and the southeast

• Western Australia monthly rainfall was 7% below the long-term (1961–90) average.
• Monthly rainfall was above average in the west Kimberly largely due to a number of tropical lows and active monsoon in the second half of January.
• A tropical low tracked southwest off the Kimberley coast then southward and crossed the far west Kimberley coast on the 22nd; moderate to heavy rainfall was recorded in the Kimberley, east Pilbara and Northern Interior between the 20th and 22nd, Pardoo Station in the east Pilbara coast recorded the state's highest daily rainfall of the month with 162 mm on the 22nd; Billiluna in the east Kimberley had its highest January daily rainfall on record
• Another tropical low in the Kimberley moved slowly westward towards the Pilbara coast towards the end of January, producing heavy rainfall in excess 100 mm to 260 mm in the west Kimberley on the 30th and 31st, including January record at Mount Hart Station and Debesa.

Above average temperatures along the north and west coast

• Western Australia's mean maximum temperature was 0.01 °C above the long-term (1961–90) average.
• Coastal areas along the north and west coast saw above average mean maximum temperatures, and several sites in the Kimberley, Pilbara and southwest coast had their warmest January on record or warmest for over 20 years
• A Low-intensity to Severe heatwave occurred in the north between the 12th and 15th; Roebourne Aero recorded the highest temperature of the month with 47.1 °C, and Paraburdoo Aero and Telfer Aero recorded the highest minimum temperature of the month with 33.2 °C, all on the 15th.
• Western Australia's mean minimum temperature was 0.25 °C above to the long-term (1961–90) average.
• Coastal areas along the north and west coast saw above average mean minimum temperatures, and a number of sites had their highest January mean daily minimum temperature on record
• The south of the state saw a number of week-long periods of cooler than normal daytime temperatures, between the 2nd and 7th, and between the 11th and 18th; The lowest maximum temperature of the month was 20.2 °C at Albany on the 15th.

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