Weather station upgrades for warmer, drier winter ahead

The Bureau of Meteorology has released its long range winter forecast. It’s good news for footy players, not so much for those wanting to fill their rain water tank.

WA was the only state to see above average rainfall across autumn, largely owing to Tropical Cyclone Ilsa which hit the Pilbara in April.

However, May was the driest on record. Busselton Airport received just 28.2mm of rain last month, while the May average for the Busselton area is 113.9mm.

Senior Meteorologist Angus Hines said the lack of rain is set to continue throughout the winter months.

“Nearly all of WA is likely to have below average rainfall this winter, with much of the south west land division very likely to be below average.

“Southern parts of the state have at least twice the chance of unusually low rainfall.”

It will be the sixth winter in a row of below average rainfall in Busselton. Last year, June only saw about half the all time average.

“The dry forecast can also mean an increased frost risk for parts of inland southern Australia,” Mr Hines said.

The low rain forecast is due to an expected positive Indian Ocean Dipole. This occurs when sea temperatures rise in the Indian Ocean, causing easterly winds, which drag clouds away from the Western Australian coastline.

With that Dipole effect, temperatures are expected to be slightly higher than average during the day and at night for the next few months.

The average maximum for June sits at 17.9C, while the average minimum is 7.8C.

As winter rolls in, the Department of Primary Industry and Regional Development is setting about upgrading its array of 170 automatic regional weather stations.

They will be upgraded from 3G to a 4G sub-band, offering low power consumption and covering wider areas.

“Our network of automated weather stations and radars are important tools for growers and regional communities, as they provide timely, relevant and local weather data,” project manager Darren Gibbon said.

“As each weather station is upgraded, we anticipate an outage of approximately an hour at that site, as old equipment is removed, the new hardware installed and existing sensor reconnected.”