Weekly Rainfall Update
for 7 days to 9am 18 June 2013

Weekly Rainfall Map

larger colour map with place names | b/w map | larger b/w map with place names
WA | NT | Qld | NSW/ACT | Vic | SA | Tas
map information | quality control information

Table of Highest Weekly Totals

State Weekly Rainfall Bulletins (updated daily):

Northern WA | Southern WA | NT | Queensland | NSW/ACT | Victoria | SA | Tasmania

The table above lists the highest rainfall totals for each state and territory for the past week. These are based on real-time rainfall reports, and only limited quality control has been performed on the data. Rainfall district names are given in parentheses. Please also note that some station names have been shortened by taking away words such as post office and airport. To view a map of the Bureau of Meteorology rainfall districts click here.

In creating the weekly rainfall map, the rainfall recorded at sites across Australia is analysed onto grids and diplayed as a map. In data-rich areas, such as southeast Australia, or in regions with strong rainfall gradients, such as across mountain ranges, "data smoothing" may occur, resulting in gridpoint values differing from the exact rainfall amounts measured at the contributing stations.

Commentary on Recent Rainfall

For the week ending 18 June 2013 rain was widespread across the southeastern mainland and Tasmania. Rainfall was also recorded in the Pilbara, Gascoyne and coastal southwest in Western Australia and the very tip of Cape York in Queensland. A complex East Coast Low formed over the Tasman Sea early in the week with an associated low pressure trough extending along the east coast of Australia. Heavy falls resulted along the eastern seaboard, with particularly high totals in Gippsland. A relatively stable trough along Australia’s western coast brought falls in Western Australia while a cold front produced light falls in southwest Western Australia at the end of the week.

Totals in excess of 200 mm were recorded across parts of East Gippsland in Victoria. The highest weekly rainfall total was 357 mm, recorded at Club Terrace in East Gippsland.

Falls greater than 50 mm were recorded in small areas of the Gascoyne in Western Australia, southeast South Australia, across parts of southern Victoria and the remaining areas of Gippsland and adjacent southeastern New South Wales, an area of central New South Wales, west coast and southern Tasmania, and locally in southeast and far northern Queensland.

Falls of between 15 and 50 mm surrounded areas of higher falls, and were also recorded across much of the Pilbara and Gascoyne and along the southern coast in Western Australia, across southeast South Australia, most of Victoria and much of New South Wales, a broad swathe of southeast Queensland and the tip of the Cape York Peninsula, and in central and west coast Tasmania.

The eastern half of Western Australia, pastoral South Australia, the Northern Territory and most of Queensland recorded little or no rainfall during the week.

Impact of Recent Rainfall on Deficits

The Drought Statement, issued on 6 June 2013, discusses rainfall deficits over Australia for the 8-month, 10-month and 14-month periods ending 31 May 2013. The rainfall deficit maps are available for the 8-month, 10-month, and 14-month periods as well as for standard periods.

The maps below show the percentage of mean rainfall that has been received for the rainfall deficit period for the 8-month, 10-month and 14-month periods ending 18 June 2013. Only the areas that experienced serious or severe rainfall deficiencies for the corresponding period ending 31 May 2013 are analysed, the rest of the map is masked in grey shading.

Rainfall to date for 8-month period	Rainfall to date for 10-month period

Rainfall to date for 14-month period

Rainfall for period 1 October 2012 to 18 June 2013

For the period 1 October 2012 to 18 June 2013, rainfall during the last week has further eased 8-month rainfall deficiencies in the southeast. Most of the areas experiencing deficiencies in Tasmania, Victoria and New South Wales have now recorded more than 60 % of their average rainfall for the period. Elsewhere, deficiencies in South Australia and Queensland remain similar to last week.

Rainfall for period 1 August 2012 to 18 June 2013

For the period 1 August 2012 to 18 June 2013, recent rainfall has significantly reduced 10-month rainfall deficiencies in Tasmania, and eased deficiencies across Victoria and central New South Wales. Deficiencies elsewhere remain similar to last week, with areas of central and southern Queensland, northern New South Wales, and the area on the South Australia – Western Australia border having received less than 50 % of average rainfall.

Rainfall for period 1 April 2012 to 18 June 2013

For the period 1 April 2012 to 18 June 2013, rainfall in the past week has seen little change in 13-month rainfall deficiencies, although Victoria and inland New South Wales have seen some improvement. Deficiencies across southern Australia generally remain similar to last week, with pastoral South Australia and adjoining areas of Western Australia generally recording less than 60 % of average rainfall for the period, and the mainland southeast recording 50 to 80 % of average rainfall.

Please Note: The Australian Bureau of Meteorology is not responsible for drought declarations. Drought declarations are the responsibility of the State Governments, and take account of other factors in addition to recent rainfall patterns. Some links to state government departmental web sites are given in the right hand column.