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Monthly Weather Review Western Australia August 2008 Monthly Weather Review Western Australia August 2008 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 2008 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 September 2008. 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. Monthly Weather Review Western Australia August 2008 Overview • Below average rainfall for WA with driest on Extremes in August 2008 record in parts of the Southwest Land Division (SWLD). Hottest day • Below average maximum temperature for WA. (Highest daily maximum temperature) • Below average minimum temperature for WA. 37.9 °C at Curtin Aero on the 27th and 28th • Eyre, in the Eucla district, recorded a minimum 37.9 °C at Derby Aero on the 27th temperature of -7.2 &degC on 17 August, setting 37.9 °C at Fitzroy Crossing Aero on the 27th an all time lowest temperature record for WA Warmest days on average August 2008 in Western Australia was notable for (Highest mean daily maximum temperature) the lack of rainfall in the southwest, with parts of the 33.1 °C at West Roebuck SWLD driest on record. Frontal activity, which is the Coolest days on average main source of winter rainfall in the southwest, was (Lowest mean daily maximum temperature) confined to the beginning and end of the month, 15.2 °C at Katanning with the rest of Augusts' weather dominated by 15.2 °C at Newdegate Research Station strong high pressure systems over southern WA. The 15.2 °C at Rocky Gully north of the state experienced a generally close to Coldest day average August, although the usually dry month was (Lowest daily maximum temperature) disrupted by thunderstorms in the Kimberley late in 11.6 °C at Bencubbin on the 1st the period. Temperatures for most parts of the state 11.6 °C at Shannon on the 30th were also below normal in terms of both maxima Coldest night and minima. (Lowest daily minimum temperature) -7.2 °C at Eyre on the 17th Coolest nights on average (Lowest mean daily minimum temperature) 0.7 °C at Wandering Warmest nights on average (Highest mean daily minimum temperature) 22.3 °C at Troughton Island 17.3 °C at Kuri Bay Warmest night (Highest daily minimum temperature) 25.4 °C at Argyle Aerodrome on the 31st Wettest overall (Highest total rainfall) 98.7 mm at Karri Valley Resort Wettest day (Highest daily rainfall) 37.2 mm at Second Beach on the 1st Highest wind gust 102 km/h at Cape Leeuwin on the 1st page 1 Monthly Weather Review Western Australia August 2008 Significant weather Synoptic summary Strong Winds August 2008 began with a high over South Australia 1st: The passage of a cold front through the Lower directing easterly winds over the northern half of the Southwest of the state produced a wind gust of WA while a cold front approached the southwest. 102 km/h (55 knots) at Cape Leeuwin at 2239 WST The front moved through the SWLD late on the 1st and 96 km/h (52 knots) at 0647 WST on the 2nd. and early on the 2nd bringing showers and rain, with thunderstorms near the south coast, before Extreme Temperatures propagating eastwards into the Great Australian Bight later on the 2nd. A cloudband that developed 17th: Eyre, in the Eucla district, recorded a minimum over central parts of the state ahead of the front also temperature of -7.2 °C, setting an all time lowest brought showers to the Pilbara, Gascoyne and temperature record for WA. The previous lowest Interior. temperature on record for the state was -6.7 °C at Booylgoo Spring, in the southeast Gascoyne, on the Following the front, a strong high moved over the 12th July 1969. The previous lowest August southwest of the state on the 3rd, causing gusty temperature on record for WA was -6.1 °C at Salmon easterly winds over the northern half and some Gums on the 15th August 1970. showers and drizzle along the south coast. The high continued to dominate the weather and while weak Eyre experienced an exceptional spell of cold nights fronts brushed the south of the state on the 5th and with six consecutive nights below -2.5 °C (between 7th, only very isolated rainfall was reported in the 13th and 18th August). It registered its lowest southern coastal areas. August temperature on record of -5.5 °C on the 15th, exceeding its previous lowest of -5.1 °C on the 7th The dry trend across much of WA continued as a very August 2002, but this was soon overtaken with strong high pressure system established itself -7.2 °C two nights later. This was the lowest southwest of the state on the 8th. The blocking high temperature recorded at Eyre, and also the lowest in dominated WA's weather for the next ten days as WA. The previous lowest temperature recorded at weak cold fronts passed to the south. Cold overnight Eyre was -5.9 °C on 14th June 2006. temperatures were recorded in the south of the state, with Eyre observing the lowest daily minimum in WA with -7.2 °C recorded on the 17th. A trough and weak low formed off the west coast on the 10th before dissipating on the 12th, with very isolated showers over the west Pilbara and Gascoyne coast and some cloudy days over the SWLD, but fine weather and gusty easterly winds were the prevailing conditions for most of WA from the 8th through to the 17th. A front approached the southwest on the 18th and moved over southern parts of the SWLD on the 19th. Light rainfall was generally confined to the south coast and adjacent inland parts in the southerly airstream following the front on the 19th and a second weak front on the 20th. A mid-level disturbance brought cloud to the Gascoyne on the 20th and 21st, which extended into the Goldfields and Interior on the 22nd, however no rainfall was recorded from this event. Following the weak front on the 20th, a very strong high moved into the Great Australian Bight. The central pressure of the high was recorded at 1046hPa and this brought some of the highest pressures ever recorded to WA.

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