What is the rainfall pattern in Australia?
Rainfall in Australia is highly variable with low average annual rainfall over most of the continent and intense seasonal falls in the tropics. The rainfall pattern is concentric around the extensive arid core of the continent, which in the west and along parts of the Great Australian Bight extends to the coast.
Does Australia get monsoons?
The northern Australian monsoon season generally lasts from December to March. The north Australian wet season encompasses the monsoon months but can extend several months on either side.
Where do Monsoons occur in Australia?
The Australian monsoon (the “Wet”) occurs in the southern summer when the monsoon trough develops over Northern Australia. Over three-quarters of annual rainfall in Northern Australia falls during this time.
What is the monsoon pattern?
A monsoon is a large-scale weather pattern that involves a seasonal wind shift over a particular region and is usually accompanied by an increase in atmospheric moisture and precipitation. When this specific weather pattern occurs, the time frame is identified as the “monsoon season.”
What is the rainiest month in Australia?
January
Rainfall per Month in Australia 2017 While January is normally the wettest month in Australia, in 2017 it experienced an estimated 63% more rain than the average rainfall in January between the years 1961 – 1990. February and March followed a similar trend, experiencing slightly more rain than usual.
How has rainfall patterns changed in Australia over the last 10 years?
The drying in recent decades across southern Australia is the most sustained large-scale change in rainfall since national records began in 1900. For the southeast of the continent, April to October rainfall for the period 1999 to 2018 has decreased by around 11 per cent when compared to the 1900 to 1998 period.
How many climatic zones are found in Australia?
These eight climate zones are illustrated in the form of a climate zone map which was created using Bureau of Meteorology climatic data with two supplementary zones added to accommodate an additional temperate zone and alpine area.
What is monsoon rainfall?
A monsoon is a seasonal change in the direction of the prevailing, or strongest, winds of a region. The summer monsoon and the winter monsoon determine the climate for most of India and Southeast Asia. Summer Monsoon. The summer monsoon is associated with heavy rainfall. It usually happens between April and September.
What causes monsoon rainfall?
As the land’s surface becomes warmer, the air above it expands and an area of low pressure develops. As winds blow from the ocean to the land, moist air is brought inland. This is why summer monsoons cause so much rain. Monsoon season does not end as abruptly as it begins.
How many inches of rain would a monsoon bring?
The storms brought on by the monsoon typically produce up to 70 percent of the year’s rain for much of the Southwest and Texas. During an average monsoon season, cities across the Southwest typically receive anywhere from 1 to 8 inches of rain.
What month has most rain?
His conclusion is that June is, overall, most frequently the wettest month in the U.S. with 2,053 of the 8,535 sites reporting such. April, at the other end of the spectrum, reports only 76 sites of the 8,535 as their wettest month.
How does the monsoon season work in Australia?
The Australian monsoon actually alternates between two seasonal phases linked to wind direction. In the winter phase, easterly trade winds bring dry conditions. In the summer, westerly winds bring sustained rainy conditions. In fact, the word “monsoon” comes from the Arabic word for season.
When does the rain fall in northern Australia?
The northern half of the continent typically experiences a monsoonal, summer wet season, with rainfall falling from October through April, and the rest of the year being dry.
Is the monsoon season the same as the rainy season?
More Than Just the Rainy Season. Derived from mauism, the Arabic word for ” season ,” a monsoon often refers to a rainy season—but this only describes the weather a monsoon brings, not what a monsoon is. A monsoon is actually a seasonal shift in wind direction and pressure distribution that causes a change in precipitation.
Where is the monsoon trough located in Australia?
The monsoon trough is positioned over northern Australia in the southern summer, and moves northward during the southern winter. NOAA/OAR/ESRL PSD (http://www.esrl.noaa.gov/psd/)