Western Australia January 2009 Monthly Weather Review Western Australia January 2009
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Monthly Weather Review Western Australia January 2009 Monthly Weather Review Western Australia January 2009 The Monthly Weather Review - Western Australia is produced twelve times each year by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology's Western Australia Climate Services Centre. It is intended to provide a concise but informative overview of the temperatures, rainfall and significant weather events in Western Australia for the month. To keep the Monthly Weather Review as timely as possible, much of the information is based on electronic reports. Although every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of these reports, the results can be considered only preliminary until complete quality control procedures have been carried out. Major discrepancies will be noted in later issues. We are keen to ensure that the Monthly Weather Review is appropriate to the needs of its readers. If you have any comments or suggestions, please do not hesitate to contact us: By mail Western Australia Climate Services Centre Bureau of Meteorology PO Box 1370 WEST PERTH WA 6872 AUSTRALIA By telephone (08) 9263 2222 By email [email protected] You may also wish to visit the Bureau's home page, http://www.bom.gov.au. Units of measurement Except where noted, temperature is given in degrees Celsius (°C), rainfall in millimetres (mm), and wind speed in kilometres per hour (km/h). Observation times and periods Each station in Western Australia makes its main observation for the day at 9 am local time. At this time, the precipitation over the past 24 hours is determined, and maximum and minimum thermometers are also read and reset. In this publication, the following conventions are used for assigning dates to the observations made: Maximum temperatures are for the 24 hours from 9 am on the date mentioned. They normally occur in the afternoon of that day. Minimum temperatures are for the 24 hours to 9 am on the date mentioned. They normally occur in the early morning of that day. Daily rainfall is for the 24 hours to 9 am on the date mentioned. This means a significant fraction of the rain may have occurred on the previous calendar day. Monthly rainfall is for the period from 9 am on the last day of the previous month to 9 am on the last day of this month. Maximum daily wind gusts are in the 24 hours from midnight to midnight. Climatological values The climatological averages shown in the text and tables are generally long-term means based on observations from all available years of record, which vary widely from site to site. They are not shown for sites with less than 30 years of record, as they cannot then be calculated reliably. Climatological extremes are generally taken from available observations from all available years of record. The number of years can vary substantially from site to site. Copyright © Commonwealth of Australia 2009 This work is copyright. You may download, display, print and reproduce this material in unaltered form only (retaining this notice) for your personal, non-commercial use or use within your organisation. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, all other rights are reserved. Requests and inquiries concerning reproduction and rights should be addressed to Commonwealth Copyright Administration, Attorney General’s Department, Robert Garran Offices, National Circuit, Barton ACT 2600 or posted at http://www.ag.gov.au/cca. Product code IDCKGC21R1. This version prepared on 12 March 2009, revising an issue prepared on 25 February 2009. ISSN 1836-3032 Cover photograph Cumulus clouds over Mitchell Plateau near Port Warrander, Admiralty Gulf, North Kimberley, WA. Photograph by Kerrie Goodchild, 28 January 2003. Copyright © 2008 Kerrie Goodchild. Used with permission. If you have a photo you think would make a good cover for the Monthly Weather Review, please contact us at the address above. Monthly Weather Review Western Australia January 2009 Overview • Mean daily minimum temperature very much Extremes in January 2009 above average - second highest January on record. Hottest day • Mean daily maximum temperature above (Highest daily maximum temperature) average. 49.0 °C at Emu Creek Station on the 10th • Monthly rainfall above average. Warmest days on average January 2009 was a hot month for WA, with the (Highest mean daily maximum temperature) statewide mean daily minimum temperature the 43.3 °C at Gascoyne Junction second highest on record, and the mean daily Coolest days on average maximum temperature also above average. Daily (Lowest mean daily maximum temperature) maximum temperature records were broken in the 23.0 °C at Albany west Pilbara and north Gascoyne during the month, Coldest day and mean maximum temperature records were (Lowest daily maximum temperature) exceeded in the Central Wheat Belt and Great 18.0 °C at Ravensthorpe on the 19th Southern. The Kimberley was one of the few districts 18.0 °C at Katanning on the 29th in WA to see below average temperatures for the Coldest night month. (Lowest daily minimum temperature) Rainfall was above average for the state as a whole 3.3 °C at Eyre on the 21st during January 2009. Most of the Kimberley saw Coolest nights on average above to very much above average rainfall, and (Lowest mean daily minimum temperature) Tropical Cyclone Dominic produced heavy falls and 13.2 °C at Jarrahwood flooding in the west Pilbara, inland Gascoyne, Warmest nights on average Goldfields, and parts of neighbouring regions, thus (Highest mean daily minimum temperature) bringing above to very much above average monthly 27.1 °C at Broome Airport rainfall to these regions, with some daily and Warmest night monthly records broken. Only small areas near the (Highest daily minimum temperature) west coast, the Eucla, and the east Pilbara 32.4 °C at Meekatharra Airport on the 12th experienced below average rainfall for January. Wettest overall (Highest total rainfall) 764.4 mm at Kuri Bay Wettest day (Highest daily rainfall) 242.8 mm at Thevenard Island on the 27th (On the WA mainland) 238.4 mm at Onslow Airport on the 27th Highest wind gust 148 km/h at Wyndham Aero on the 7th page 1 Monthly Weather Review Western Australia January 2009 Significant weather while several motorists were caught in floodwaters on the York-Quairading road. Tropical Cyclones A tropical low formed over the western Kimberley, On the 31st, Gingin Aerodrome reported a wind gust north east of Broome, on the 24th and moved in a of 94 km/h at 1454 WDT. A thunderstorm developed westerly direction. Once over water, the low moved to the west of Yanchep at 1300 WDT, then moved to rapidly west before slowing and turning to the the southeast then east-northeast, passing over southwest. The system quickly developed in Bindoon at 1550 WDT causing some damage. The favourable conditions and was named Tropical SES also reported some damage from another Cyclone Dominic at midday WDT on the 26th when it thunderstorm that passed over Ellenbrook was located about 300 km west northwest of Port (northeast of Perth). Hedland. Dominic continued a steady movement to the Strong Winds southwest and intensified to category 2 strength. On the 12th, Newdegate Research Station recorded a The system passed very close to Barrow Island wind gust of 91 km/h at 1806 WDT during the before it turned on a south-southeast path. Dominic passage of a surface trough. crossed the Pilbara coast about 12 kilometres to the Heavy Rainfall east of Onslow and a wind gust to 133 km/h was recorded just after 0700 WDT on the 27th at Onslow Troughton Island recorded 222.4 mm to 9 am on the Airport. Some minor structural damage was caused 16th during a thunderstorm. The two hour total of and power lines were brought down. Widespread 202.2 mm to 0530WDT on the 16th was greater than rain affected the western Pilbara as Dominic a 1 in 100 year rainfall event, whilst the fall of approached the coast and in the 24 hours to 9 am on 183.0 mm in the 90 minutes to 0510WDT also the 27th, Onslow Airport recorded 238.4 mm, the exceeded a 1 in 100 year rainfall event. wettest January day on record in Onslow, whilst The injection of tropical moisture from the remains Thevenard Island reported 242.8 mm. of Tropical Cyclone Dominic over western and As Dominic approached the coast it began to be southern WA caused heavy rainfall and flooding from affected by increasing wind shear and once over land the 27th to the 29th. Flooding in the Gascoyne River it weakened rapidly. The system was downgraded to caused inundation of low-lying parts of Carnarvon, below tropical cyclone intensity at 1600 WDT on the whilst heavy rainfall in the Goldfields is believed to 27th. The weakening system injected significant have affected the Trans-Australian railway line and moisture towards southern WA, causing heavy may have contributed to a train derailment to the rainfall and flooding in many parts. The flooding in east of Kalgoorlie on the morning of the 30th. the Gascoyne River caused inundation of low-lying parts of Carnarvon. Severe Thunderstorms On the 7th, Wyndham Aerodrome reported a wind gust of 148 km/h at 1713 WDT during a thunderstorm. This ranks as the equal 5th highest non-cyclonic wind gust recorded in Western Australia. There was a report that part of the roof of a house was peeled off. On the 23rd, Newman Aerodrome recorded a wind gust of 96 km/h at 1709 WDT during a thunderstorm. On the 25th, Giles recorded a wind gust of 91 km/h at 1838 WDT during a thunderstorm. On the 26th, Munglinup West reported a wind gust of 94 km/h at 1411 WDT and Laverton Aerodrome 94 km/h at 2127 WDT.