Ben Domensino, 26 Jul 2017, 4:48 AM UTC
July rain stacking up in Perth
Perth was soaked by heavy showers this morning, continuing a trend of frequent wet weather in the city this month.
A cold front crossing the state's South West Land Division today is producing scattered showers and thunderstorms. Perth was soaked by an abrupt downpour at around 11am, with 7mm of rain falling in just 10 minutes and close to 20mm in an hour. This caused a temperature drop of three degrees in 20 minutes.
Fortunately, a road weather alert was issued this morning to warn drivers of hazardous driving conditions and reduced visibility in the heavy rain.
Perth has now recorded rainfall on 20 days so far this month, which is above the long-term July average of around 17 days. This is a notable change from June, when Perth only registered a meagre four days of rain setting a new June record for the current site.
Despite the frequent falls this month, Perth's running total of 142mm for the month, as of midday today, is below the long-term July average of 168mm. The city still has some work to do if this is to be its first wetter-than-average July since 2008, when 179mm hit the gauge.
Drier weather will return to Perth this afternoon as the front moves further north and east. The next frontal system will bring another burst of showers and possibly thunderstorms on Friday, followed by further showers with a weaker system on the weekend.
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