Thursday, 1 September 2022 - Monthly Climate Summary for Western Australia - Product code IDCKGC11R0

Western Australia in August 2022: Wet and cool in the south, warm in the north

Rainfall in August was 43% above average for Western Australia as a whole, with rainfall recorded in the top 10% of historical records across the Central West, Gascoyne, Central Wheat Belt and Goldfields districts. It was Western Australia's wettest August since 2005. Monthly totals were above average in the Pilbara, Northern Interior, South East Coastal and Eucla Districts. Temperatures were close to average for Western Australia as a whole. Daytime temperatures were warmer than average across the Gascoyne and Kimberley. Nights were warmer than average along the Kimberley and Pilbara coast. Cooler than average days and nights were felt in the south.

Above average rainfall for most of the state

• For Western Australia as a whole, August rainfall was 43% above average.
• Rainfall in the top 10% of historical records was recorded across the Central West, Gascoyne, Central Wheat Belt and Goldfields Districts.
• It was the wettest August for 30 years (since 1992) for the South West Land Division as a whole.
• The first four days of August brought up to 100 mm of rain to the south-west of the state.
• A long cold front extended from a deep low pressure system located well to Australia's south, crossing the west of the continent during the 15th and 16th. The system interacted with a moist tropical cloudband, and thick cloud ahead of the front brought heavy rain along the west coast followed by widespread lighter falls farther inland.
• Minor flooding was reported in the mid-west and Gascoyne regions of Western Australia, including on the Avon and upper Swan rivers.
• On 16th August, widespread daily rainfall of 20 to 70 mm was recorded in western parts of WA, (except for the far south) with multiple sites setting new August daily rainfall records including some with over 100 years of record.
• Some sites had their highest August daily rainfall on record
• Some sites had their highest total August rainfall on record
• Some sites had their highest total August rainfall for at least 20 years

Close to average temperatures, warm in the north, cool in the south

• The mean maximum temperature for Western Australia for August 2022 was 0.86 °C above the 1961–1990 average and the coolest since 2018.
• Daytime temperatures for August were generally warmer than average in the state's north.
• The mean minimum temperature for Western Australia for August 2022 was 0.40 °C above the 1961–1990 average.
• A cold front connected with a cloudband over the Pilbara in Western Australia brought unusually cool and wet conditions to large areas of the west of the country and central Australia from the 9th to 11th. Some stations in south-west Western Australia observed record-low daily maximum temperatures for August during the 24 hours to 9am on the 9th.
• Relatively cool nights were observed across northern Australia in the wake of a cold front on the 15th, with some stations in Western Australia observing record-low daily minimum temperatures for August during the 24 hours to 9am on the 16th.
• Some sites had their coldest August day (lowest maximum temperature) on record
• Some sites had their lowest August temperature on record
• Some sites had their warmest August night (highest daily minimum temperature) on record
• Some sites had their highest August mean daily minimum temperature on record
• Some sites had their highest August mean temperature on 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