Broome swamped in wettest December on record

Updated

A tropical low pressure system has combined with Cyclone Yvette to dump more than 200 millimetres of rain on Broome.

It is the most rain to fall on Broome in a 24-hour period in December, according to the Bureau of Meteorology's Neil Bennett.

"The real wet spot was at Broome itself at the airport, 226mm there, the wettest December day on record," Mr Bennett said.

"It's also the wettest day, since 1997, and the third wettest day on record, so that gives you an indication of just how much rain has fallen in that 24-hour period."

It takes Broome's monthly rainfall total to more than 359mm, which makes it the wettest December on record with over a week to go.

"The previous wettest month of December was in 1970 with 278.8mm," Mr Bennett said.

While much of the attention on north-west Australia's weather was distracted by Tropical Cyclone Yvette forming and then weakening well off the Pilbara coast, a tropical low moved over the Kimberley and dumped its record-breaking deluge.

"The tropical low that moved across from the Northern Territory region during Wednesday, that's been bringing persistently heavy rainfall throughout the northern Kimberley over the last couple of days," Mr Bennett said.

"And we saw a particularly intense burst of activity associated with that and the monsoon flow into Broome last night."

The record rain has caused minor flooding and road closures around Broome, and the delay of two flights due to excess water on the tarmac at Broome's airport.

While the heavy rainfall is expected to abate through Christmas Eve, Mr Bennett said Tropical Cyclone Yvette is forecast to re-form and move towards the coast on Christmas Day.

"And then the possibility is that as Tropical Cyclone Yvette, which by that stage would have re-intensified, moves towards the coast, you could see an increase in rainfall and wind again through the Broome area as we go into Christmas Day and Boxing Day," he said.

"It's safe to say that it's going to be pretty wet for the Christmas weekend, unfortunately."

Topics: floods, rainfall, broome-6725

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