Broome shivers through unseasonal chill as temps dip below average

Broome locals have been adorning scarves and jackets over the past week, seeking comfort from a dip in overnight temperatures, and it’s not just in their heads.

While the northern WA town is better known for its tropical warmth, the past fortnight has brought a touch of desert chill, with temperatures dropping below average in the Kimberley.

A combination of weather factors is responsible for the cooler conditions, according to Jessica Lingard from the Bureau of Meteorology.

“The recent cool overnight temperatures have been driven by persistent east to south-easterly winds, which are dragging dry air from central Australia into the Kimberley,” Ms Lingard said.

“Dry air allows more heat to escape from the Earth’s surface at night, especially when skies are clear. It’s a bit like sleeping without a blanket, you lose warmth much more easily.”

She explained that cloud cover typically traps heat near the surface overnight, so the lack of it in recent weeks has only intensified the chill.

A high-pressure system over southern Australia has been driving the easterly airflow, a common winter pattern.

“Winds flow in an anticlockwise direction around high-pressure systems in the southern hemisphere, and this ridge has been keeping those dry south-easterlies blowing steadily across the north,” Ms Lingard said.

Overnight minimums in Broome have averaged 15.1C so far this month, which is slightly below the long-term average of 15.3C and matching last year’s figures for the same period.

But it’s the individual nights that have caught people’s attention, particularly the brisk 9.3C recorded on June 17.

“That’s the coldest night we’ve had in Broome so far this month,” Ms Lingard said.

“For context, the lowest we got last June was 11C. So yes, people are definitely feeling the difference!”

Elsewhere in the Kimberley, the cool trend has been even more pronounced.

Kununurra’s average minimum so far this month is just 12.6C — a full 3.1C below normal and the coldest for June since 2012.

Kalumburu has also felt the drop, with an average of 13.7C, nearly a degree below the June average.

And the chill isn’t over yet, with Ms Lingard saying residents can expect cooler than average nights to continue into early July.

“We’re likely to see overnight temperatures across the Kimberley sitting 2C to 6C below average for at least the next week,” she said.

Daytime conditions are also taking a mild hit.

“Maximum temperatures will be a touch cooler too — about 2C to 4C below average — especially towards the end of this week and into the weekend for much of the central and eastern Kimberley,” Ms Lingard said.

Still, we’re not quite breaking records — at least not yet.

The coldest June night on record in Broome was a frosty 5.2C, set on June 30, 1971.

And for the truly intrepid weather-watchers: Broome Airport’s all-time low was a bone-chilling 3.3C, recorded on July 21, 1965.

So, while it may not be time to break out the mittens just yet, a warm jumper wouldn’t go astray for the next few mornings.