Climate
Like much of northern Australia, the Alligator Rivers region has a monsoon climate. The dry season lasts between May and September while the wet season lasts between November and March. April and October are transitional periods between the two seasons. Annual rainfall at Jabiru is approximately 1540 mm with almost all of it falling during the wet season. During the wet season, the prevailing winds are westerly to north-westerly while they are easterly to south-easterly during the dry season.
The three Alligator Rivers are perennial rivers flowing even during the dry season as is the Wildman River. All of the tributaries dry up in places during that period. The land dries out, and the wildlife concentrates around the permanent water sources such as the rivers, springs, waterholes and billabongs. The duration of the dry period depends on the rainfall during the wet season. In a normal year, the tributaries will start flowing around the middle of December and finish at the end of June, but the flow will start in November and finish in August if the rainfall has been particularly heavy.
During the wet season, the savanna turns green, the wildlife spreads out, the bird life returns and the streams flood into adjacent lands turning them into swamps. The flood plains leave behind silt when they gradually dry up during the wet season.
During the wet season, the water has a higher temperature and is relatively low in turbidity. In the dry season, there is an increase in turbidity especially in the shallower water sources.
The Alligator Rivers Region is also subject to cyclones between October and May like other parts of the Australian Indian Southeast region.
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