A strong cold front crossing WA is drawing a deep feed of tropical moisture and rainfall across nearly the whole state, impacting mining hubs.
Well before dawn on Thursday, a quick but intense burst of rain crossed over Port Hedland, delivering 12mm in the 30 minutes to just after 3am. Across the whole night, the weather station recorded 12.4mm, making it the wettest July day since 2014, 11 years ago.
Video: Infrared satellite and radar imagery showing intense pre-dawn rain affecting the mining hub of Port Hedland on Thursday, July 24, 2025.
This intense rainfall was a precursor to an increased influx of moisture coming from the warm waters of the Indian Ocean. The satellite loop below shows multiple streams of cloud and rainfall feeding into Western Australia on Thursday. This morning’s rainfall was brought by the smaller initial cloudband, closing in on Broome in the animation.
Video: Satellite imagery showing multiple bands of cloud cross northern WA on the morning of Thursday, July 24, 2025.
Elsewhere over WA’s Pilbara and interior, it was the heaviest July rainfall in:
- 12 years at Leinster Ap (11.4mm)
- 11 years at Marble Bar (2mm)
- 9 years at Meekatharra Ap (14.6mm), Varanus Is (8.4mm), Paraburdoo Ap (8mm) and Newman Ap (2.8mm)
- 3 to 6 years at Mardie (2.8mm), Karratha Ap (7.6mm), Solomon Ap (4.6mm), Roebourne Ap (4.2mm), Telfer (1.2mm), Eliwana Ap (5.9mm), and Leonora Ap (8mm)
Patchy rainfall will continue to affect much of the region on Thursday morning and afternoon, amounting to a further 1-5mm across WA’s Pilbara and interior, with some locations further east receiving up to 10-15mm.
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Much of this rainfall fell across remote parts of Western Australia which are serviced by the mining sector. Radars are located along the coastline at Geraldton, Carnarvon, Learmonth, Karratha and Port Hedland, resulting in poor coverage of WA’s interior. DTN APAC’s Synthetic Radar solutions provide a satellite-derived, gridded nowcasting system that capture rainfall across Australia and the globe, filling the gap left by traditional radar systems.
Video: Side-by-side comparison of traditional radar versus DTN APAC’s Synthetic Radar as a cloudband and rainfall extends across WA’s interior on Thursday, July 24, 2025.
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Whatever the weather, we provide the insights to help keep you and your team safe, productive and profitable.
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