Tuesday, 2 January 2024 - Monthly Climate Summary for Western Australia - Product code IDCKGC11R0

Western Australia in December 2023

Rainfall

• Rainfall was below average for most of the northern and western half of the state. Many sites from the west Kimberly including Broome,and the west Pilbara down to the Lower West including Perth recorded zero rainfall.
• The state averaged December rainfall was 17.4 mm, which was 41% below the 1961-1990 average, the driest December since 2019 (17.3 mm).The driest December on record is 1924 (8.6 mm).
• Broome Airport recorded 0.0 mm,which was the driest December for 37 years since 1986 when no rainfall was recorded as well.
• The 2023-24 wet season so far (October-December 2023) rainfall total was 1.4 mm at Broome Airport, which was the driest start to a wet season for 12 years since 2011(0.4 mm). The driest October-December on record is 1951(0.3 mm).
• For the South West Land Division(SWLD) as a whole, December rainfall was 3.4 mm, which was the ninth-driest December on record, and the driest since 2021(2.4 mm,5th driest). The driest December on record for the SWLD is 1909 (1.4 mm).
• Thunderstorms produced isolated moderate to heavy daily falls in the Kimberley on several days on the 11th,13th,21st,24th and 27th. A daily rainfall of 91.6 mm at Kalumburu on the 11th was the highest daily rainfall this December in WA.
• December Root zone (the top 100 cm) soil moisture was below average for most of the state. Soil moisture was very much below average (lowest 10% of all years) in the south Kimberley, inland Pailbara, eastern Gascoyne, the South West and Goldfields.

Temperature

• Maximum temperatures were above to very much above average(highest 10% of all observations) for most of the state, apart from the northwest coast, and southern coastal parts.
• The state averaged mean maximum temperature was 37.3 °C,which was 2.21 °C above the 1961–1990 average,the fourth-warmest December on record since 1910.
• Minimum temperatures were above to very much above average( highest 10% of all observations) for most of the state, apart from the northwest, and far south parts.
• The state averaged mean minimum temperature was 21.9 °C,which was 1.08 °C above 1961–1990 average, the fifth-highest on record for December.
• Record high temperatures were observed in the Pilbara in late December. Marble Bar recorded a maximum temperature of 49.3 °C; on the 30th, which was an equal highest all-time temperature in 122 years of observations, equalling with 27 Dec 2018.
• During the extreme to severe heatwave events in the mid and late December, overnight temperatures remained in the low 30s in central WA, including a couple of highest daily minimum temperature records.

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

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top