A Cold and Dry Start to Winter for Australia by Helen McKenzie
Much of Australia, particularly the south, has been experiencing a record cold and dry autumn, and these conditions are continuing into winter as well.
It has been the driest June on record for many places, including Perth and the state of Western Australia, and the second driest since records began in 1882 for New South Wales and Hobart. Western Australia has only received 30% of its normal rainfall in June, having already been deficient in rainfall at the end of the previous month. The only exceptions for dry conditions have been coastal districts, where they have received around average rainfall amounts, or above.
It has also been an exceptionally cold June for many parts of the country. Sydney saw its coldest June for 24 years, and it was the coldest since 1950 for Western Australia. The state of South Australia saw average maximum temperatures around 1 degree Celsius below normal, but minimum temperatures were 2-3 degrees below average for the time of year. Many records have been broken for the lowest temperatures on record. The thermometer in Clare dropped to -5.0 (23F) on 15th June, breaking the previous record of -4.4C (24F) set in 1959.
Winter officially began on 1st June, and it looks like the cold and dry theme will continue, with clear skies letting temperatures fall away rapidly at night, and no sign of any significant rain.
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