Thick clouds in the tropics, combined with humid, unstable air and the remnants of Tropical Cyclone Megan, are causing heavy rain over the Northern Territory. This outcome was anticipated, as Ashleigh Lange wrote here. 

Image: Himawari-9 satellite image at 12pm ACST on Saturday, March 23

Over the past 24 hours, Alice Springs Airport received 42.2mm of rainfall, which is 1.4 times the March average (30.9mm). This level of precipitation hasn’t been seen in the city since January 9th, 2023.

Despite generally low rainfall throughout the year, the months from October to March typically experience an average monthly rainfall ranging from 20mm to 42mm.

Image: Alice Springs Airport Annual Temperature and Rainfall.

Since the beginning of this month, the accumulated rainfall has reached 84.6mm, nearly three times the March average. This volume is expected to increase further as the risk of heavy rain persists through the weekend and into Monday.

Some areas in central-western NT (including Alice Springs) are forecast to receive 3-day accumulations between 100mm and 200mm, with isolated pockets exceeding 200mm.

Image: Accumulated forecast rainfall for the 3 days leading up to 9:30am ACST on Monday, March 25, according to ECMWF.   

Stay informed by following the weather forecast and alerts for the region on the Weatherzone page.