A near-stationary, highly localised area of heavy rain has soaked the West Australian tourist town of Broome, with the Kimberley region’s largest population centre almost topping its average February rainfall in just the last 48 hours.
To 9am Sunday (AWST), Broome received 41.8mm
To 9am Monday, Broome received an additional 126.4mm
The long-term monthly average for February (the 2nd-wettest month) is 177.0mm
What’s causing the deluge?
You can see the overnight rainfall in the 12-hour combined radar and satellite loop above.
A feed of moisture from a trough and associated tropical low pressure system is slowly being steered in a northeasterly direction.
Meanwhile cloud at higher levels of the atmosphere is moving in almost the opposite direction, from east to west. This high cloud moving west is the outflow from convective (rising) air.
As Weatherzone meteorologist Ben Domensino points out, the loop is effectively a top-down visualisation of wind shear, where wind changes direction with height.
How unusual is this weather for Broome?
As mentioned above, Broome does see reasonably heavy monthly rainfall totals in the summer months. It can even see phenomenally heavy daily rainfall totals during cyclones anytime from late spring through to mid autumn.
But overall, Broome’s wet season is shorter and less reliable than in locations much further north, mainly due to occasional influxes of hot, dry air from the centre of the continent during breaks in the monsoon.
This week, however, the monsoon will remain the dominant broad-scale weather influence, meaning there’s potential for consistent heavy showers across the Kimberley region – and especially near the coast – for much of the week.
Image: Predicted rainfall totals across Australia up until 11am on Thursday, February 19, 2026, showing heavy totals likely in northern Australia with ongoing heavy rain in the Kimberley region around Broome.
Other parts of northern Australia are also in line for a good soaking this week.
READ MORE: Week-long soaking ahead for northern Australia