Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology

 
RSS Subscribe to email

Monsoon forecast to join the New Year celebrations in the Top End

29/12/2014

Relief from recent sweltering conditions in northern Australia is on its way, with the monsoon forecast to drift south toward the end of this week bringing welcome showers and storms to the northwest coast.

Bureau of Meteorology Northern Territory Weather Services Manager, Mr Ben Suter, said that while it might feel like the monsoon can’t come soon enough for those living in the Top End, its arrival this year is close to average – with the monsoon usually making an entrance in the last week of December.

“Last year, the monsoon arrived in late November—which is very early in the season—but on average, it arrives in Darwin around late December,” Mr Suter said.

“The monsoon is the heartbeat of the climate system in the tropics – providing relief from persistent heat and humidity with cloud cover, cooling rain, thunderstorms and occasionally more malevolent weather such as tropical lows.”

The current build-up of the monsoon has seen below average thunderstorm activity for this time of year, and many locations across the Top End have also seen well below average rainfall totals.

"Above average minimum temperatures, high humidity and a lack of thunderstorms have made this year's build-up particularly oppressive.

"December minimum temperatures in Darwin are almost a degree and a half above average, with an equal record overnight minimum recorded at 29.7 degrees on 17 December," he said.

Showers and storms associated with the monsoon trough are forecast to deliver four-day rainfall totals in the range of 50 to 100mm across the northwest of the Territory between Thursday and Sunday, with isolated heavier falls of up to 150mm possible near coastal areas.

Winds are also expected to strengthen a little from the north to northwest.

“The monsoon can be an unpredictable creature, and there is still some uncertainty around just how active this monsoon burst will be, however we can be confident in seeing some welcome rain across the Top End later this week,” Mr Suter said.