Perth's warm June breaks records but July could be a different story

Hannah Barry

Published: June 30 2017 - 12:42PM

Perth is on the verge of recording its warmest and driest June in nearly 120 years, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.

"Preliminary figures indicate that Perth will have its warmest June on record since records commenced," spokesman Neil Bennett said.

"If Perth reaches its predicted max of 20 degrees today [Friday], the average maximum for the month will be 21.4 degrees - making it even warmer than the previous record of 21.0 degrees, set in 2015."

BOM figures also indicated Perth only received four rainy days for June this year, making it the driest start to winter since records began.

...However July is expected to be a different story.

Perth's first real taste of winter is expected to hit this weekend with hail, thunder, strong winds and even snow predicted for Saturday morning.

"The start to the second month of winter will be significantly colder, with maximums of just 15 degrees being predicted for both Saturday and Sunday," Mr Bennett said.

Snow is expected to fall on the Stirling Ranges on Saturday night, something which typically only occurs once a year.

A cold front is also set to sweep through the south west later on Friday bringing cold air and showers, but Mr Bennett said the rain would be short-lived.

"Preliminary figures suggest that the South West Land Division has had its third driest June on record, and also its warmest June on record," he said.

"The climate outlook for the next three months suggests that it's more likely for the rainfall to be below average than above for the south west, and temperatures are likely to remain above average."

WA farmers continue to struggle with a lack of rainfall across the state, and the bureau confirmed farmers did not reach their June rain requirements.

Frost is also expected to wreak havoc with crops, and WA farmers estimated a possible loss of $1 billion due to the recent conditions.

Lots of red on the rainfall map for June for #WA. Significant areas had their driest June on record. https://t.co/GFrDZFGJOm pic.twitter.com/S0dxPcT0ZJ

— BOM WA (@BOM_WA) June 30, 2017

Perth's 7-day weather forecast

Friday: 4 - 20, showers. Rain: 5-10mm.

Saturday: 9 - 15, thunderstorms clearing. Rain: 5-10mm.

Sunday: 4 - 15, cloudy.

Monday: 4 - 16, mostly cloudy. 1-5mm.

Tuesday: 4 - 16, mostly sunny.

Wednesday: 5 - 18, possible shower. Rain: 1-5mm.

Thursday: 9 - 17, possible shower. Rain: 0-1mm.

This story was found at: http://www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/perths-warm-june-breaks-records-but-july-could-be-a-different-story-20170630-gx1yo4.html