August rain breaks drought and records for a wetter-than-average winter

Record-breaking August rainfall has resulted in a wetter-than-average winter for Albany and the south coast.

Most of the rain occurred on August 4, when Albany copped 81mm in 24 hours, breaking the August daily record, with records dating back to 1877.

Bremer Bay had its wettest August on record, with 157.9mm falling over the month.

August was the wettest winter month in Albany, beating the monthly average by 72mm. In total, the city received 432.5mm of rain for winter, comfortably above the average of 399.7mm.

The early August deluge was a game-changer for farmers in the region who were battling a three-year drought. Bureau of Meteorology spokesman Neil Bennett said the August rainfall had put a dramatic end to a dry winter.

“Most of that rain did fall in August when we had that cut-off low that moved through the south coast which produced some very heavy rainfall over a period of a couple of days,” he said. “Leading up to that point, though, things were looking pretty ordinary and it had been pretty dry through June and July.

“The temperatures were above average for the winter — the Albany town average is 17.6C and it was about 1.3C above that average.”

Looking ahead, the BoM gives Albany an even chance of receiving its average spring rainfall total of 218mm.

The temperatures for September are likely to be above the average daily maximum of 17.2C.