Weather News

Perth's heaviest September rain in 26 years

Bob Neil, Monday September 22, 2014 - 12:29 AEST

Heavy rain swept across parts of Western Australia during the past 24 hours, with Perth gaining its largest September total in 26 years. This has come after Perth's hottest September day on record, which was reached when the city hit 34 degrees on Saturday.

The heavy rainfall arrived with a strong cold front, which sourced high amounts of moisture from the anomalously warm seas surrounding southwest WA. Sea surface temperatures are currently above 20 degrees celsius in the southeastern Indian Ocean, which is above average for this time of year. These warm waters promoted higher atmospheric moisture levels, which contributed to the deluge during the past 24 hours.

Perth gained 36mm of rain in the 24 hours to 9am this morning, which was its heaviest daily total for September in 26 years. Most areas around Perth received 30-40mm of rain with the heaviest falling during Sunday afternoon. The wet weather has also cooled temperatures around the western capital, with the maximum only climbing to 22 degrees in the city on Sunday, down 12 degrees from maximum of 34 on Saturday.

The largest totals for the state were recorded in the Central West District, where Moascar (near Geraldton) received 59mm of rain in the 24 hours to 9am. This was its heaviest September total in at least 12 years.

For today, southerly winds are set to bring more showers to the region this morning. Although, these will be more isolated and are only expected to produce up to 5mm before clearing this afternoon.

Further ahead, a few sunny days are likely before the next chance for showers on Thursday.

- Weatherzone

© Weatherzone 2014

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