Thursday, 1 March 2018 - Seasonal Climate Summary for Western Australia - Product code IDCKGC21R0

Western Australia in summer 2017-18: A wet summer; below average temperatures in the north

Summer rainfall was above average across most of Western Australia, with highest on record totals in the north and southwest. It was tenth-wettest summer on record for WA as a whole. The State-wide mean maximum temperature was below average while the mean minimum temperature was above average.

Above average rainfall for most of WA

• Summer rainfall was tenth-highest on record for WA as the passage of tropical cyclones Hilda, Joyce, and Kelvin, and tropical low 11U produced a string of moderate to heavy falls over much of WA
• A number of sites in the west Kimberley, Lower West and neighbouring districts, had their wettest summer on record, or wettest summer for over two decades
• Broome Airport easily broke its previous summer rainfall record by recording its highest January and highest February rainfall totals. These summer and monthly records were also unprecedented for the town back to 1889 (combining readings from the Broome Post Office (1889-1953) and Broome Airport).
• The Kimberley region recorded its third wettest summer on record, following last year's wettest summer on record, whilst the South West Land Division also recorded above average rainfall
• Tropical cyclone Hilda produced daily rainfalls between 100 mm and 300 mm in the west Kimberley from 27 to 29 December 2017; a few summer daily rainfall records were broken
• Tropical cyclone Joyce, its remnant low pressure system, and an associated cloudband produced daily rainfall between 50 mm to 150 mm in the north and west of the State in early to mid-January; many summer daily rainfall records were registered near the west coast, particularly around Perth on 15 and 16 January
• Tropical low 11U moved slowly over land through the Kimberley and Northern Interior producing very heavy rainfall from the end of January to the beginning of February; Kilto Station's 252.0 mm on 30 January is a summer record in its 42 years of recording
• Tropical cyclone Kelvin produced very heavy rainfall between 100 mm and 370 mm in the west Kimberley in mid-February, and broke some February daily rainfall records

Below average daytime temperatures, above average overnight temperatures

• Mean maximum temperatures were below average in large parts of the Kimberley, Pilbara, Interior, and Goldfields, near the path of tropical lows during summer; the average for WA was 0.20 °C below normal
• Mean minimum temperatures were above average in large parts of western and southern WA, and below average in parts of the Kimberley and Interior; WA as a whole was 0.30 °C above average
• The tropical low 11U and tropical cyclone Kelvin were also responsible for some record low summer maximum temperatures in the Kimberley, Pilbara, and Goldfields at the end of January and middle of February
• Both Warmun and Derby in the Kimberley had their lowest summer mean minimum temperatures for over four decades

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

* note: there are gaps in the historical record at this site, so it is possible a lower value has gone unreported

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top