After a disappointingly dry July, much of Western Australia officially ended winter on a more familiar wet note.
This July was one of the driest on record, with rainfall through the southern regions well below average.
But the winter rain finally came in August, with a series of cold fronts and strong storm systems delivering welcome moisture to many parched areas.
Hot, cold, hot, cold
August has often been more of a transitional month in WA, and this year was no exception.
Perth began the month with a relatively cool maximum of 17.7 degrees Celsius before temperatures climbed rapidly to above 25C only three days later.
It provided a taste of the warmer conditions to come, but winter wasn't done yet.
Less than a week later, the city came close to recording its coldest August day on record, reaching a top of only 12C.
And then came the rain
While the southern regions waited patiently for the arrival of more winter rain, Mother Nature decided it would give the north a drink first.
A trough and north-west cloud band extending from the Indian Ocean brought unseasonal rainfall across the western Pilbara and Gascoyne.
August is usually a very dry period for this region, with a monthly average of only 5-10mm for Exmouth and the North West Cape.
Overnight rainfall resulted in some locations surpassing their monthly average, with 12mm observed at Learmonth.
Fortunately, that cloud band decided to share the rain and fed tropical moisture into the south, linking up with a cold front to bring widespread rainfalls stretching from the South West into the Goldfields.
Let it snow
The last month of winter brought the return of cold fronts, showers and blustery winds to the southern regions.
Some of those fronts saw significant cold pools behind them, resulting in snow on Bluff Knoll.
Alec and Bev were treated to our first sighting of snow during their trek of the peak on August 8.
There were reports of a second flurry of snow on August 11, while the cold air also led to reports of hail across many areas.
Unusual cloud band
During the middle of the month, an unusual cloud band formed across the country, stretching all the way from Exmouth on the west coast to Sydney on the east coast.
The band delivered clusters of storms and rain over the state's interior, though totals were generally lower across the Wheatbelt and Great Southern districts.
However, places like Dalwallinu and Northam ended the month just a few millimetres short of their average monthly rainfall.
Fog and frost for Perth
The Perth metro gauge managed to record a total of 97 millimetres during August.
While that was still below average for the site, it highlighted a shift from the exceptionally dry conditions of the previous month.
The city also experienced a mix of late-winter weather, with overnight temperatures dropping as low as 2.5C, leading to foggy and frosty mornings.
Sweater and sunnies weather
In between the bursts of rain, much of the state enjoyed pleasant winter days during August, but the chilly winter mornings continued as temperatures dipped to the single digits.
The month saw the sort of weather that had people leaving home in a jumper only to find themselves reaching for their sunnies by lunchtime.
Before the season wrapped up, the state was treated to one final burst of winter rain which some farmers have referred to as "season saving".
A slow-moving cold front which swept through southern WA at the end of the month, produced widespread rain and thunderstorms, leading to severe weather warnings being issued.
Rainfall totals between 10 to 50mm were recorded across much of the region, a welcome sight following dry July.
Doongin Peak, located between Cunderdin and Kellerberrin, picked up 44.2mm in 24 hours, its highest August daily total in 133 years.
Cunderdin, Garden Island and Rottnest Island also set new daily rainfall records for the month as a result of that system.
While the rain wasn't enough to completely wipe away July's deficit, for many communities, it was better late than never.
