Darwin has experienced its longest January dry spell in 53 years after a particularly parched start to the new year. As of 9am CST on Tuesday morning, Darwin had only recorded 64mm of rain since the beginning of the month, with just six days recording rainfall. This is a meager 15% of the rain Darwin normally sees in January, which is usually the wettest month of the year. The dry start to 2012 has included nine days in a row without a single drop of rain at Darwin Airport. This dry spell, which ran from Thursday 5th to Friday 13th, ranks as the airport's longest for January since 1959. Australia's tropics experience the heaviest rain between December and March, driven by moisture feeding into a region of low pressure called the monsoon trough. However, the beginning of 2012 has seen this monsoon trough remain inactive over Darwin, leading to a marked reduction in rainfall so far. Looking ahead, a return of heavy wet season rainfall is unlikely for Darwin in the near future. Afternoon shower and storm activity is possible most days, but there are no signs in the next week of persistent monsoonal rains.