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 NT: Heaviest rain
in a year across the Centre
The most significant rainfall since May 2004 fell across much of the Alice
Springs district today. A strong jetstream has fed a conveyor belt of Indian
Ocean moisture across the northern WA coast since Thursday generating a rain-bearing
northwest cloudband that has given general falls of 25 to 50mm in the district
over the 3 days to 9am Sunday.
The heaviest totals to 9am today were in the west, where Wulungurru,
500km W of Alice Springs, topscored with 37.8mm. The focus of rain moved east
today, with the highest 24-hour totals to 9am Sunday about 250km ENE of the
Alice: Atula recorded 42.6 and nearby Jervois 40.0, 31 of which fell between
3 and
9pm. The Jervois total of 40.0 was their heaviest day's rain for June in 40
years of observations. These falls follow recordings of around 25mm in the
eastern Alice Springs district
on 12
June;
Jervois has
recorded
75.8mm
in the
past
9 days.
Rainfall tapered off towards the SA/NT border, with Alice Springs Airport
receiving only 19.0mm in the 3 days to 9am Sunday. However, Alice's total for
the month
so far of 30.6 is nearly as much as the 36.6mm recorded for the entire year
to 31 May, the driest 12 months in the Airport's 63 year record. The previous
driest 12 months was 80.1 from May 1961
to
April 1962.
WA:
Heavy June rain in the Kimberley
The same northwest cloudband delivered an unseasonably heavy burst of rain
across the Kimberley today. At Broome Airport, 76mm fell between 9pm yesterday
and 3pm today. Even heavier totals were recorded in the area for the 48 hours
to 9am Sunday, though most fell in about 15 to 18 hours today. Kilto Station,
60km ENE of Broome, recorded 145.8mm and Roebuck Plains, 25km east, 108.4.
The area of heavy rain moved into the central Kimberley today giving Mt Elizabeth,
200km NNE of Fitzroy Crossing, 73.0mm for the 24 hours to 9am Sunday. Derby's
total of 39.0mm was just 0.8mm shy of the June record in 39 years of record.
Flooding closed many roads in the Broome and Derby areas, including the Cape
Leveque Road, stranding tourists at remote campsites and resorts over the weekend.
Falls
like this are unusual for the region in June, when Broome averages just 18.4mm
but the norm for most of the Kimberley is under 10mm. In most years
little or no rain falls, but the average is pushed up by occasional rain events
such as this. Since observations began at Broome Airport in August 1940, Junes
with monthly totals of 75mm or more have been 1941 (78.5), 1951 (80.9), 1966
(75.0), 1968 (208.1), 1993 (76.2) and 1998 (87.0). | 
