Western Australia's north is one of the world's last great wilderness areas with fewer people per square kilometre than almost anywhere else on our planet.To the north of WA is an ancient land with unique Australian culture, wild rivers, deep gorges, and sprawling red and blue colours that makeup the landscape.

Unlike our South West, in recent decades an increase in the total rainfall has been observed in some northern parts of our state, including the Canning Basin and West Pilbara. The increase in rainfall has resulted in more rainfall runoff recharging our catchments in some lucky parts. However, this trend doesn’t apply to all the areas across the North West and is highly inconsistent with many towns experiencing extended periods of little to no rain.

In general, the rainfall our residents in the Pilbara and Kimberley regions rely on has always been highly variable. This is partly because the northern WA coastline lies within the most tropical cyclone-prone region of the Australian coast (Broome to Exmouth). Historically an average of 2 cyclones cross this stretch of coastline each year. However, future climate predictions indicate cyclones will be less frequent but much more intense.

These tropical cyclones bring heavy rainfall with them and make for an extremely valuable contribution to our surface and groundwater supplies; however, their variability means we can't solely rely on the water sources they recharge. Forecasts indicate the intervals between rainfall events will become more variable across the northern regions over the next century.

While we'll likely see fewer cyclones, or possibly a later start to the cyclone season, a predicted increase in their intensity will mean greater potential for damage to our water infrastructure. In response, we're continuously working to ensure our infrastructure can withstand these extreme events.