Milder summer predicted

Albany is expected to have a milder summer than usual, with the Bureau of Meteorology forecasting below-average temperatures in coming months.

The bureau’s senior climatologist Glenn Cook said there was a 75 per cent chance of this month’s temperatures being slightly lower than average.

“It’ll be more likely to see cooler days over the next couple of months — we’ll still see some warm ones, but the cooler days will probably outweigh the warmer days,” Mr Cook said.

The BOM predicts an average maximum temperature of 18.6C this month and a relatively cooler summer with an average maximum temperature of 20.2C in December — the mean maximum temperature for December is 23.1C. The average maximums for January and February are 24.8C and 24.9C respectively.

It comes after Albany recorded a slightly drier winter than normal, with 378.7mm of rain falling from June-August, slightly below the 400.6mm average.

Meanwhile, after receiving plenty of rainfall in the past few months, there’s a 55 per cent chance for Albany to receive lower rainfall than average in the coming months.

“The probability is just slightly more likely to be below average than above average for October,” Mr Cook said.

“It’s close to 50-50, which just means anything can happen — the climate is not driven towards one way or another so anything really possible. But there is a slight chance that it would likely be below-average rainfall.”