Tuesday, 1 June 2021 - Monthly Climate Summary for Western Australia - Product code IDCKGC11R0

Western Australia in May 2021: wet in the west

May rainfall was above average for much of the western half of Western Australia, although rainfall was close to average along the west coast. Rainfall was below average in the eastern parts of the state, but it is a typically dry season in the north-east. May maximum and minimum temperatures were above average for much of WA, although the state's north-east saw cooler than average mean minima.

Wet in the west

• May rainfall was 10% above average, the wettest May since 2016 for Western Australia as a whole.
• For the South West Land Division as a whole, May rainfall was 31% above average, the wettest May since 2005.
• May rainfall was above average for much of western half of WA, although it was near-average along the west coast; many sites in the Gascoyne District and the South West Land Division (SWLD) either had their wettest May rainfall on record or wettest May for at least 20 years.
• Isolated thunderstorms produced a number of May daily rainfall records near the state's south coast on the 3rd.
• An extensive cloudband and associated low pressure troughs produced widespread moderate daily rainfall in the west of WA on the 5th and 6th, with heavy daily falls between 50 and 80 mm recorded in the Gascoyne and the SWLD, including several May daily rainfall records on the 5th; Barrow Island and Roebourne Aero in the Pilbara coast recorded unseasonably heavy daily rainfall over 100 mm on the 5th and 6th respectively.
• An extensive cloudband and cold front produced widespread moderate rainfall in western parts of the state on the last 3 days of May; a number of sites in the west Pilbara coast and Gascoyne recorded daily rainfall of 40–80 mm, their May daily rainfall record.

Above average mean minimum temperatures in southern WA

• The mean maximum temperature for May was 1.32 °C above average for Western Australia; May 2021 was much warmer than May 2020 but cooler than May 2019.
• The mean maximum temperature for May was 0.77 °C above average, and the warmest May since 2016 for Western Australia.
• Frosty nights, with temperature at or below 2 °C, were recorded in the inland SWLD; the lowest temperature recorded during the month was 0.1 °C at York (about 100 km east of Perth) on the 26th.

Minor flood at Gascoyne River

• Heavy daily rainfall during the last 3 days of May resulted in the Gascoyne River reaching minor flood levels at Lyons River Crossing and Jimba.

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