Weekly update - 28 June 2018 - Department of Agriculture

During the week ending 27 June 2018 little to no rainfall was recorded across much of mainland Australia, with falls restricted to the south and east of the country. Rainfall totals of between 10 and 50 millimetres were recorded across far south-western and south-eastern Western Australia, south-western and north-eastern South Australia, southern Queensland and central New South Wales.

Higher totals of up to 100 millimetres were recorded across coastal parts of Queensland south of Cairns, and western Tasmania. The highest recorded weekly total was 118 millimetres at Topaz Alert, south of Cairns in northern Queensland.

Rainfall analysis for the week ending 27 June 2018

Map showing weekly rainfall totals in Australia. Image provided by the Bureau of Meteorology. Please refer to accompanying text for a more detailed description.

©Commonwealth of Australia 2018, Australian Bureau of Meteorology - Issued: 27/6/2018

Note: The rainfall analyses and associated maps utilise data contained in the Bureau of Meteorology climate database, the Australian Data Archive for Meteorology (ADAM). The analyses are initially produced automatically from real-time data with limited quality control. They are intended to provide a general overview of rainfall across Australia as quickly as possible after the observations are received. For further information go to Weekly Rainfall Update.

For the week ending 26 June 2018, maximum temperatures were generally average across much of the country. Maximum temperatures were slightly above average (2°C to 4°C) in scattered areas of Queensland and New South Wales, and slightly below average (-2°C to -4°C) in isolated areas of Western Australia and the Northern Territory. Minimum temperatures were below average (-2°C to -6°C) across south-eastern, western and central areas of the country. Minimum temperatures were generally average for the rest of Australia.

Maximum temperature anomalies for the week ending 26 June 2018

Map showing maximum temperature anomalies in Australia. Image provided by the Bureau of Meteorology. Please refer to accompanying text for a more detailed description.

©Commonwealth of Australia 2018, Australian Bureau of Meteorology - Issued: 27/6/2018

Minimum temperature anomalies for the week ending 26 June 2018

Map showing minimum temperature anomalies in Australia. Image provided by the Bureau of Meteorology. Please refer to accompanying text for a more detailed description.]

©Commonwealth of Australia 2018, Australian Bureau of Meteorology - Issued: 27/6/2018

Note: Spatial temperature analyses are based on historical weekly temperature data provided by the Bureau of Meteorology. These temperature anomaly maps show the departure of the maximum and minimum temperatures from the average over the 1961 to 1990 reference period. For further information go to Daily maximum temperature for Australia.

The rainfall and temperature outlooks presented below show the likelihood, represented as a percentage, of experiencing wetter or drier (and warmer or cooler) than median climatic conditions for the given outlook periods. Climate outlooks are generated by the Predictive Climate Ocean Atmosphere Model for Australia (POAMA), a dynamical (physics-based) climate model developed by the Bureau of Meteorology and CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric research division.

For further information, go to About the climate outlooks

The current outlook reflects the neutral state of broad-scale climate drivers, such as El Niño, La Niña and the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD), meaning they are currently having little influence on Australia's climate.

When broad-scale drivers are neutral, the climate is often influenced by secondary climate drivers or more local effects. The current outlook is suggesting that higher than average mean sea level pressures to the south of Australia are influential, resulting in weaker westerly winds and fewer cold fronts from the Southern Ocean affecting south-east Australia.

A drier than average July is more likely mainly across the eastern half of mainland Australia, with parts of the south-east having a greater than 70 per cent chance of a drier than average month. In contrast, a wetter than average July is more likely in western parts of Western Australia. For the remainder of the country there are roughly equal chances of a wetter or drier than average July (Bureau of Meteorology ‘National Climate Outlook’, 28 June 2018).