Western Australia Experiences One of its Driest Julys on Record

Despite a wet start to winter, July has been one of the driest on record for large parts of Western Australia.

A lack of consecutive cold fronts and strong storm systems left rainfall totals across Perth and the southern half well below what would normally be expected for one of the state's wettest months.

The city gauge only managed to record 56.8 millimetres of rain this month, less than half of its long-term July average of 147 mm.

Across the broader South West region, average rainfall was about 39.7 mm for the month — the lowest since records began.

So if you hear someone mention a dry July in WA, chances are they're not talking about the alcohol-free fundraiser.

Let's take a look back at some of the amazing photographs sent in by ABC readers from across the state.

Double rainbows

July began with the same conditions that dominated the rest of the month, with mostly clear and settled skies under a stubborn ridge of high pressure.

The South West region got its first decent drenching nearly a week in as the first cold front of the month arrived.

While Busselton airport and Walpole North recorded their highest daily rainfall for the month, areas further inland missed out completely.

We saw double rainbows in between showers, something that happens when sunlight is reflected through water droplets twice.

Stubborn highs block rain

The state receives almost all of its winter rainfall from cold fronts originating in the Southern Ocean, but there's been an absence of those rain-bearing systems this month due to a stubborn pattern in the atmosphere.

Rather than allowing a procession of cold fronts to sweep across the state's south-west, strong high-pressure systems have repeatedly settled over southern Australia, steering much of the winter rainfall further south.

Just as a storm would arrive to deliver much-needed rain, another high would be chasing its tail, ready to slip the state back into fairly calm and settled conditions.

Cool, foggy mornings

The clear skies saw temperatures plummet overnight for much of the southern half, while inland areas across the Wheatbelt, Great Southern and Goldfields experienced frosty and misty mornings throughout the month.

Wandering in the Great Southern dropped below zero six times over the past month, while Salmon Gums was just shy of recording its coldest July minimum on record after dipping to a fresh -4.4 degrees.

The cloudless skies also made for some great astrophotography conditions for keen stargazers like Judy.

Residents in Perth woke up to eerie conditions on the 10th day of the month as thick fog blanketed the city.

Fog occurs when there are clear skies and light winds overnight, allowing the temperature to cool down and reach saturation point.

(Almost) beach weather in July

The dry spell continued over Perth and much of the southern regions into mid-July, under a broad ridge of high pressure.

It led to an unseasonably warm day on July 15, when temperatures soared about 5 to 10 degrees above average for areas around the west coast.

Jurien Bay reached a top of 26.9C, its highest July maximum on record, while Cape Leeuwin also posted a record of 23C.

Perth experienced its hottest July day in 32 years, with the city reaching a high of 25.7C, about 7 degrees warmer than average.

Despite the distance, a huge high-pressure system near Tasmania influenced the weather in WA, preventing cold fronts from dropping much rain near the south coast.

Rain returns

The calmer weather was brought to an abrupt end on July 17, as the month reminded us what winter was supposed to feel like, delivering a series of cold fronts.

The storms swept through the South West land division, bringing heavy rain, thunderstorms and strong winds to the region.

The Harris Road gauge near Bunbury picked up 65 mm in 24 hours, Dardanup East and Ferguson Valley got over 50 mm and Mandurah notched up 44mm.

The Perth metro gauge didn't miss out, recording just under 15mm, while nearby Kings Park managed a decent 27 mm.

The following front packed an even bigger punch, prompting warnings for heavy rainfall and potential flood watches near the central west.

Peter managed to snap a photo of a drenched road in Coorow after his gauge recorded 58 mm of rain overnight.

Rainfall well below average

Despite the boost to rainfall totals, it was far from enough to make up for the dry month.

With one week left of July, much of the South West had only received a fraction of the month's usual rainfall, with some areas on track to record one of their driest Julys since records began.

On the south coast, Albany only managed to pick up just under 51 mm of rainfall compared to its monthly July average of 146.6 mm.

Manjimup fell 120mm short of its July average, while the Perth metro gauge fell 90mm short.

Across much of the agricultural region, paddocks have remained dry through what is normally the peak growing season.

The Wheatbelt town of Northam has recorded just 12.2 mm, about 15 per cent of what it would usually get, making it the driest July it's had in nearly 150 years of records.

North feels the chill

Strong high-pressure systems dominated the state's weather across the month, but they didn't just impact the southern half.

The effects were felt as far as the Pilbara and Kimberley regions, where warnings were issued for strong south-easterly winds.

Because those winds were coming from the centre of the country, they were predominantly dry and cool, leading to chilly minimum temperatures.

Some parts of the Kimberley were colder than Melbourne, Hobart and Canberra.

A number of locations, including Broome and Fitzroy Crossing, observed their coldest morning of the year so far on July 29.

Any hopes of a last-minute drenching to lift July's rainfall totals faded as the month drew to a close on a warm, dry note.

And with the Bureau of Meteorology forecasting a drier than usual August, the final month of winter could follow the same script.