The Bureau of Meteorology projects the monsoon will arrive in late January, as it releases its 2024 climate report

The Top End’s unpredictable and long-awaited monsoon season has again been tipped to arrive at the end of January, as the Bureau of Meteorology releases its preliminary summary of Australia’s 2024 climate. Read the details.

Wild weather at Nightcliff Jetty. Picture: Julianne Osborne

The Top End’s unpredictable and long-awaited monsoon season has again been tipped to arrive at the end of January, as the Bureau of Meteorology releases its preliminary summary of Australia’s 2024 climate.

The Bureau said the fleeting burst of “monsoon-like” conditions at the weekend, while bringing cool, cloudy and sometimes wet weather, was not the onset of the monsoon, which typically starts in late December.

“Build up weather will return this week, with hot, humid days and isolated showers and storms each day,” a Bureau spokeswoman said.

Wild weather approaching Mindil Beach. Picture: Julianne Osborne

“The Bureau has assessed that Darwin did not reach monsoon onset, and models are still showing this is more likely toward the end of January.

“The Bureau will announce the date of the official onset of the monsoon (at Darwin Airport) shortly after it has occurred.

“The community, agricultural sector, land managers and water managers in northern Australia can stay up to date with the climate conditions of this important season through the Tropical Climate Update.”

The latest known onset was January 25, 1973, meaning the Territory could crack that record this year.

Wet weather hitting Darwin city. Picture: Julianne Osborne

The Bureau has also published its preliminary summary of the NT’s climate for 2024.

It found the NT overall had 897.7mm of rainfall throughout the year, averaged across the Territory – 65 per cent above the 1961-1990 average.

2024 also marked the fourth-highest annual rainfall in the Territory since the national dataset began in 1900, with the highest being in 1974 with 1006.5mm.

Nationally, 2024 was the fifth-wettest year since national records began in 1900.

The 2023-24 monsoon began just over a week late on January 10. Picture: Glenn Campbell

Mean temperature for the NT in 2024 was 0.95C warmer than the 1961–1990 average and the equal 11th-warmest since the national dataset began in 1910.

Measured from the Darwin airport, the average maximum (daytime) temperature in 2024 was 33C, the equal fourth warmest on record since observations began there in 1941.

And the average minimum (night-time) temperature in 2024 was 24.1C, the equal second warmest on record since observations began there in 1941.

Nationally, 2024 was Australia’s second-warmest year since national records began in 1910, with the national mean temperature 1.46C warmer than the 1961-1990 average.

The national mean maximum temperature was 1.48C above average, the fourth-warmest since national records began in 1910.

Nationally, summer 2023–24 was the third-warmest on record, winter was the second-warmest on record and spring was the warmest on record.