Record rains as region soaks up unusual weather system

Kalgoorlie-Boulder could be on track for record January rainfall with a tropical low pressure system expected to soak the city for the next few days.

A total of 108.4mm had fallen in the city’s rain gauge this month as of 4pm yesterday with 100mm forecast to fall today. If this occurs, it would eclipse the 185.9mm record for January rainfall which occurred in 1967 and almost pass the yearly average of 266.3mm in one month.

Kalgoorlie-Boulder Bureau of Meteorology station manager Jenny Feast said it was an unusual weather system for any time of the year in the Goldfields.

“This weather system is actually quite characteristic of cyclone season except it hasn’t quite behaved like we expected,” Ms Feast said.

“It didn’t form into a cyclone because it has spent most of its life over land and simultaneously it is being fed by the monsoon trough across northern Australia.

“As a result the rains we are experiencing are a lot more prolonged than what is typical to the Goldfields in January.”

Other parts of the Goldfields have also been drenched with Wiluna receiving 55mm to yesterday morning and Leonora 33.2mm.