Hotter summer trend hits South West

A trend of hotter than average summer temperatures continued this season with Bunbury registering its equal fourth hottest December to February on record.

With an average maximum temperature of 29.6 degrees, summer 2012-13 clocked in 0.6 degrees higher than average and one degree lower than the city’s warmest ever summer in 2010-11.

The city’s top four hottest summers have all occurred in the past six years.

Bureau of Meteorology climate and weather information officer John Relf said there had been little relief from the heat, even after the sun had set.

“Bunbury had a lot of very warm nights with an average mean minimum temperature of 16.1 degrees — well above the long term summer average of 14.8,” he said.

“The warmer temperatures can be attributed in part to the Indian and Pacific Oceans, which are both about one degree warmer than usual.”

A deluge of rain at the start of December meant the city also recorded its third wettest summer on record despite enduring a 31-day dry spell from January 18 until February 17.

“Bunbury had it all in terms of rain, it bucketed down for a couple of days and then the city literally went into drought,” Mr Relf said.

The vast majority of Bunbury’s summer rain came on December 12 and 13 with 121.4mm in 48 hours, followed by just 2.2mm for the rest of the season.

The Bureau is predicting minimum and maximum temperatures will be between 10 and 20 per cent higher than usual in Bunbury during autumn and rainfall figures will be slightly down on average.