Strongest storm in half a century caps off your top WA weather photos for May

Some unusually warm and sunny May afternoons saw many take to Perth beaches like Mullaloo. (Supplied: Joerg Rohwer)

As long stretches of clear May days become a memory, we bid farewell to an autumn that didn't quite behave the way it was supposed to.

Across the state, the month delivered bursts of sunshine, brief spells of rain and long stretches of dry skies that left many wondering when winter would finally arrive.

Take a look back at some of the amazing photographs sent in by ABC readers from across the state.

Instead of the grey soaking days that we'd typically see in late autumn, Perth was treated to several warm spells during May, until a few days out from winter.

The sun rises in Narrikup in WA's Great Southern. (Supplied: Samantha Hutton)

While the first day of the month was our coldest maximum, with a top of 17.8 degrees Celsius in Perth, there were plenty of clear skies in the city and the southern parts, making for a foggy morning in Narrikup.

Our warmest Perth day was May 12, reaching 28.3C — up 5.8C from the average temperature — and that sat comfortably in the midst of a lovely stretch of days without rain.

There was, however, a bit of moisture about in Mundaring during a foggy dawn.

Fog envelopes Mundaring Weir in the morning. (Supplied: Stephen Manassah)

If you have a striking weather photo you'd like to see featured on ABC platforms, email it to: [email protected].

While city residents may have welcomed the sunshine, the month was a challenging one for agricultural regions.

For grain growers and livestock producers, May rain is critical heading into winter.

A tractor seeding at Warradarge in WA's Mid West. (Supplied: Harry Williams)

But as the month progressed, farming communities saw cold fronts quickly weaken or slide south, delivering only patchy rainfall.

In classic autumn fashion, mornings across the southern half were cool and misty with overnight temperatures often dipping into the low single digits.

A misty morning near Barkers Bridge in Perth's north-east. (Supplied: Brett Canet-Gibson)

Towards the end of the month, places like Newdegate (-1C) and Collie (-2C) even dropped below freezing.

We had some chilly mornings across the Perth metro area, followed by warm sunny afternoons that may have left you questioning your clothing choices.

As the days progressed, there were some stunning colours, with the sun turning red.

The colour change can occur after prescribed burns when the smoke haze scatters out shorter wavelength colours like blue, according to Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) senior meteorologist Jessica