Thursday, 1 April 2021 - Monthly Climate Summary for Western Australia - Product code IDCKGC11R0

Western Australia in March 2021: wet in the west and north-east Western Australia

Rainfall was above average in western and north-eastern Western Australia, and near average rainfall for the remainder of the state. For the state as a whole, rainfall was above average. Mean maximum temperatures were below average for much of the Kimberley and Pilbara, though the Gascoyne and southern coasts saw above average mean maxima. Mean minimum temperatures were above average for most of the southern half of the state. It was the coolest March since 2012 for Western Australia as a whole.

Wet in the west and north-east WA

• Rainfall was 49% above average for Western Australia as a whole.
• A broad trough and a weak low pressure system tracked over the state's west and south, and produced thunderstorms and showers with moderate to heavy daily rainfall at the start of March; some sites in the South West Land Division (SWLD) had their highest March daily rainfall on record on the 3rd or 4th.
• A low pressure trough off north-west WA and a tropical low developed and lingered to the west of the Kimberley in the second half of March to produce thunderstorms and showers with moderate to locally heavy daily rainfall in the Kimberley between the 14th and 21st; the highest daily rainfall total was 177 mm at Flora Valley on the 15th.
• Many sites in the SWLD had their wettest March on record or wettest March for at least 20 years.

Cooler daytime temperatures in the north; warmer nights in the south

• It was the coolest March since 2012 for Western Australia as a whole.
• WA mean maximum temperature was near average, the lowest March mean maximum temperature since 2012.
• WA mean minimum temperature was 0.12 °C above average, but also the lowest March mean minimum temperature since 2012.
• Daytime temperatures dropped to the low to mid-20s in the Kimberley and east Pilbara on the 19th and 20th; a number of sites had their coldest March day on record.
• Very hot temperatures in the low 40s were recorded in the Southern Interior on the 4th and 5th; Warburton Airfield recorded the state's highest temperature of the month at 42.7 °C on the 4th.
• Low-intensity heatwave conditions were observed in the inland southern Gascoyne and eastern SWLD, with severe heatwave in the Southeast Coastal District towards the end of March.
• Several sites in the SWLD had their highest March temperature on record or late season records (a late season record is the highest temperature so late in March) on the 29th or 30th.
• Esperance town experienced 2 very hot days towards the end of the month, with a maximum temperature of 37.8 °C on the 29th and a late season record of 41.8 °C on the 30th, resulting in the month being the town's warmest March on record.
• A number of sites in the SWLD had their highest March minimum temperature on record or their late season record on the 30th.

Flooding in the Kimberley catchments

• A low pressure trough off north-west WA, and a tropical low developed and lingered to the west of the Kimberley to produce thunderstorms with moderate to heavy rainfall from the 14th to 21st.
• The Ord River recorded moderate flooding and peaked at 10.05 meters at Old Ord Homestead on the 15th.
• The Fitzroy River also recorded moderate flood levels, peaking at 11.7 meters at Fitzroy Crossing on the 22nd.

Thunderstorms in the SWLD

• Thunderstorms with moderate to heavy rainfall were recorded in the South West Land Division on the 3rd and 4th, with damaging wind gusts and resulting in flash flooding in the Central West and Lower West districts.
• Canterbury in the south-eastern Central West recorded 41.8 mm in 15 minutes in the evening of the 3rd, which is less than 1% of its historical Annual Exceedance Probability.

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