After the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) released its most recent dry weather outlook, cold fronts and an unusual stream of tropical moisture across Australia led to parts of southern WA, South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales receiving 2-3 times their monthly average rainfall for June. Monthly rainfall records looked to be broken for several areas, including north-east Victoria and southeast South Australia. Some northern parts of Australia have received more than four times their average June rainfall, albeit at a time of seasonally low rainfall, while much of Queensland, the east coast of NSW and WA’s mid-west region were dry.

Despite the June soaking, BoM said areas receiving above-average rain in June could still end up drier than usual by the end of August. Some of the dry climate drivers are still expected to develop in coming months, including the Indian Ocean Dipole which is likely to move into a positive phase in coming months. The BoM’s El Niño alert remains in place.