Thunderstorm activity boosts rainfall in November – BOM

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November was again another hot month, concluding the second warmest spring on record, according to the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM). November rainfall was near average across the country, coming in at 4% above the long-term (1961-1990) average for the month, mostly attributed to storm activity in the south-east.  

Rainfall was ‘below-average’ across southern Victoria, southeast SA, Tasmania, southwest WA, parts of central Australia and northern Queensland. In northern Australia, the lower rainfall was largely due to less thunderstorm activity than what is typical for November. Maximum and minimum temperatures were reportedly also ‘above average’, with the mean temperature for the month almost two degrees above the long-term mean.

• The majority of Queensland received patchy rainfall, with heavier falls in the south-east. Thunderstorm activity brought rain, damaging winds and hail to some regions.
• For most of NSW, rainfall was ‘above average’.
• Southern Victoria remained dry, while areas of SA recorded some heavy rainfall at the beginning of November followed by bushfires later in the month.
• Most of WA recorded ‘average’ to ‘above average’ rainfall for the month, while isolated pockets in central and southwest areas were drier than average. The southern-most region of the state, recorded ‘very much below average’ rainfall, and areas around Esperance were affected by bushfires.

The latest three month outlook indicates that rainfall is expected to be ‘above average’ across southwest Queensland and northeast NSW, however temperatures are again likely to be warmer.