Top End Dry Season 2024

Beautiful mid September rain.... rained steadily since midnight.

Darwin hasn't seen September rain like this for decades
( Source: Weatherzone )

Rare dry season rain is soaking parts of northern Australia this week, with Darwin just copping its heaviest September rain in 43 years.

Northern Australia is still technically in its dry season, which officially runs from May to September and is characterised by very little rainfall.

While Darwin is notorious for heavy rain and thunderstorms in the wet season, the city usually receives about 44 mm of rain during an average dry season. However, a rare September soaking delivered more than this entire seasonal average within a few hours early on Tuesday morning.

Darwin Airport picked up 52.4 mm of rain between 1am and 9am on Tuesday morning, with most of this falling before 6am. This was Darwin’s highest daily rainfall in September since 1981 and it more than tripled the city’s monthly average for September.

^^Image: Darwin rainfall observations on Tuesday morning.

The unusually heavy dry season rain was caused by humid easterly winds feeding into an upper-level trough sitting above northern WA. Warmer-than-average sea surface temperatures near northern Australia are likely contributing to the atmospheric moisture that produced Tuesday morning’s rainfall.

Showers will ease over northern Australia on Wednesday and Thursday as the upper-level trough weakens.

Looking ahead, another round of heavier rain and thunderstorms could develop over parts of WA and the NT late this week and early next week as a new trough develops over WA. There is still some uncertainty regarding this system, so be sure to check the latest forecasts and warnings throughout the next week.

Increased rainfall in the deep North West.
( Source: BOM )
Rain will arrive in the north-west of the country this weekend as humid air from the tropics moves toward northern Western Australia.
Widespread showers and the risk of storms are forecast for many throughout the Pilbara, the Kimberley and the northern interior. Western parts of the Northern Territory, including Darwin, could also see some showers.
Even when there are no showers, conditions will be more humid than they have been in recent weeks. Thick cloud cover will move across, lowering the temperature by several degrees.
Next week, the rain is likely to spread across much of the country.
For the latest forecasts and warnings, visit our website www.bom.gov.au or the BOM Weather app.

Sunrise just now

Unseasonal Heavy Rainfall Hits Northern Australia
( Source: Weatherzone )

A broad trough of low pressure has deepened over the Kimberley and Pilbara regions, extending through to the Northern Territory, bring showers, thunderstorms, and unseasonal heavy rainfall.

In Noonamah, located 45 km southeast of Darwin CBD, an impressive 54mm of rain was recorded in the last 24 hours, being that most of which failing in an hour. (Notes/- and a fall of 90mm at a Humpty Doo PWS ! )This is three times the average monthly rainfall for September and marks the highest 24-hour rainfall in September in the past 15 years. The town has not experienced such heavy September rainfall since 2013, with the accumulated rainfall now at 92.8 mm, more than five times the monthly average.
As meteorologist Ben Domensino told in this story, rain and thunderstorms are expected to increase over northern Western Australia and western Northern Territory this weekend as tropical moisture feeds into the deepening low-pressure area.

From Sunday evening, unseasonal moderate to heavy falls are anticipated in northern WA and northwest NT. Forecasts predict widespread rainfall totals of 30-60 mm on Sunday, 30-100 mm on Monday, and 10-40 mm on Tuesday, with isolated daily falls exceeding 100 mm possible on Sunday and Monday.
These conditions may lead to significant stream level rises, localised flooding, and overland inundation, potentially affecting road access and isolating some communities.

You can see this unusual/unseasonal Sept rain band/storms about to move into the NT from WA on the radar...

Looks good on the radar and I can hear distant thunder, but its gunna pass south of me...

Next 3 days heatwave warnings Top End

Today ( 30th Sept ) is the last day of the dry season.