Wednesday, 1 June 2005
MONTHLY CLIMATE SUMMARY - TASMANIA
From very dry to very wet - Tasmania in May 2005
Very dry
conditions persisted in the northern, northeastern and Midlands districts
of Tasmania during May, with many sites recording less than 10
millimetres of rain for
the whole month. A few had their driest-ever May. It was a very
different story in the west, where solid rain at the end of the month
created a wetter than normal May, with several sites reporting totals
over 300 millimetres.
Average daytime temperatures were above normal in all areas except
the west and far south, despite some rather cold days from the 25th to
the 28th. Average overnight temperatures were mostly within half a
degree of normal, but there were some 20050505.shtml - record warm nights and some very cold ones.
Included in this summary is a table of State 20050601m.shtml#extremes - extremes,
some more 20050601m.shtml#details - details,
some new 20050601m.shtml#records - records,
and 20050601m.shtml#summaries - summaries for sites across the State.
Relatively dry conditions have been experienced in many parts of
Tasmania over the last 10 or more months. The hardest hit areas are
those of the northwest coast. At the #Record_low_rainfall_for_longer_periods - bottom of this statement are lists of some of the places that have record low rainfall for various periods.
A 20050601s.shtml - separate statement contains tables of extremes, records and summaries for 20050601s.shtml - autumn.
Further information
Climate Services Section
Tasmania and Antarctica Regional Office
Bureau of Meteorology
Phone (03) 6221 2043
Email mailto:climate.tas@bom.gov.au - climate.tas@bom.gov.au
Extremes
Weather extremes during May 2005 |
|---|
Highest temperature
Hottest day |
24.4 °C |
Ouse Fire Station
on 4th
|
|---|
Highest mean daily maximum temperature
Warmest days on average |
16.9 °C |
Bicheno
|
|---|
Lowest mean daily maximum temperature
Coolest days on average |
6.0 °C |
Mount Wellington
|
|---|
Lowest daily maximum temperature
Coldest day |
-0.4 °C |
Mount Wellington
on 25th
|
|---|
Lowest temperature
Coldest night |
-7.1 °C |
Liawenee
on 17th
|
|---|
Lowest mean daily minimum temperature
Coldest nights on average |
-0.1 °C |
Liawenee
|
|---|
Highest mean daily minimum temperature
Mildest nights on average |
10.7 °C |
Swan Island
|
|---|
Highest daily minimum
Warmest night |
17.7 °C |
Grove (Comparison)
on 5th
|
|---|
Highest total rainfall
Wettest overall |
495 mm |
Mount Read
|
|---|
Lowest total rainfall
Driest overall |
1.8 mm |
Scamander
|
|---|
Highest daily rainfall
Wettest day |
59 mm |
Lake Margaret Power Station
on 25th
|
|---|
Details
Temperatures edged gradually higher after a cold first day, reaching
a peak on the 4th. The next several weeks saw temperatures mostly close
to
normal, with a few warm days but not many especially cold ones,
except in the west and far south. Notable warm days occurred on the
11th (in the north and east), the 13th, and from the 21st to the 24th.
A
cold front dropped temperatures on the 25th, and another
front pushed them lower still for the 27th and 28th, bringing snow to
some areas. The last few days
saw a return to slightly above-normal days. Averaged across the month,
temperatures in the eastern half and the northwest coast were above
normal by between
0.3 and 0.8 degrees, whilst the southwestern half was below normal by a
similar amount.
There were many extremes in overnight temperatures, with bursts of very warm nights. Several 20050505.shtml - records were broken on the 4th and 5th,
and there were more warm bursts around the 10th and 23rd. There
were also some very cold nights, especially around the 8th, 13th, 20th
and 26th. Averaged across the month, nights were mostly within half a
degree of normal; generally below normal in the northeast and southwest
but above normal elsewhere.
For most of the month, only very light rain (or none at all) was
reported in northern and eastern parts of the state, generally
associated with the passage of cold fronts. A significant frontal
system brought almost statewide rain on the 24th and 25th, with many
sites receiving more in 24 hours than they had for the previous 24
days. In the wake of that change, cold and showery conditions persisted
in the west and south, with moderate to heavy falls on several days in
the west. Mount Read, which reported 494 mm for the month, received 259
mm in the last 9 days; Stahan received 100 mm in the last 9 days out of
174 mm for the month. But in the north east, many sites reported less
than 1 millimetre in those last 9 days.
The state was affected by strong westerly winds for much of the
month, with the only lengthy respite being between the 12th and the
21st. Very strong southwest winds on the 26th generated some large
waves which caused marked beach erosion in the Hobart area.
Records
Record Lowest Total Rainfall for May |
|
Total rainfall
for May 2005 (mm)
|
Previous lowest
for May
|
Years of
record |
| Devonport Airport |
7.8 |
12.2 |
in 1996 |
42 |
| Memana |
21.4 |
28.6 |
in 1981 |
41 |
| Launceston |
5.0 |
8.5 |
in 1991 |
26 |
| Scamander |
1.8 |
10.8 |
in 1976 |
23 |
Many sites in the north (including Avoca, Fingal,
Frankford, Launceston Airport, Lilydale, Mole Creek, Pioneer,
Ringarooma, Scottsdale, Westbury and Latrobe) had their driest May
since 1991. At St Marys, Pyengana and Campbell Town it was the driest
May since 1972.
Record Highest Temperature for May |
|
Highest temperature
in May 2005 (°C)
|
Previous highest
for May
|
Years of
record |
| Tarraleah Village |
22.0 |
on 4th |
21.0 |
on 1st in 1985 |
22 |
Powranna and Ross also had their warmest May day on the 4th, but have only a short period of record.
Record Highest Daily Minimum Temperature for May |
|
Highest daily minimum
temperature
in May 2005 (°C)
|
Previous highest
for May
|
Years of
record |
| Hobart |
16.2 |
on 4th |
16.1 |
on 2nd in 1889 |
123 |
| Grove |
17.7 |
on 5th |
15.7 |
on 11th in 1969 |
50 |
| Hobart Airport |
16.0 |
on 5th |
15.1 |
on 4th in 1982 |
47 |
Several other sites with short record (including
Geeveston, Dover, Maydena, Ross and King Island Airport) also had their
highest daily minimum temperature for May.
Summaries
Summary statistics for May 2005 |
|---|
|
Maximum temperatures
for May
(°C) |
Minimum temperatures
for May
(°C) |
Rainfall
for May
(mm) |
| Mean for 2005 |
Difference from normal |
Highest for 2005 |
Mean for 2005 |
Difference from normal |
Lowest for 2005 |
Total for 2005 |
Normal total |
Ranking |
| Hobart |
15.2 |
+0.8 |
23.2 |
7.7 |
+0.8 |
2.9 |
39
|
47 |
normal |
| Launceston |
16.3 |
+0.6 |
21.4 |
4.2 |
-0.9 |
-1.4 |
5 |
63 |
lowest |
| Burnie |
15.7 |
+0.4 |
19.6 |
8.4 |
+0.1 |
3.0 |
23 |
95 |
very low |
Devonport
|
15.8 |
+0.7 |
18.9 |
6.6 |
0 |
1.5 |
8 |
76 |
lowest |
Swansea
|
16.7 |
+0.8 |
22.4 |
6.5 |
+0.3 |
-0.8 |
6 |
47 |
very low |
Strahan
|
14.0 |
-0.3 |
20.0 |
7.4 |
0 |
1.2 |
174 |
139 |
normal |
Strathgordon
|
10.9 |
-0.6 |
19.5 |
5.7 |
+0.3 |
1.6 |
300 |
238 |
high |
| King Island Airport |
15.7 |
+0.2 |
21.8 |
9.7 |
+0.6 |
4.0 |
32 |
86 |
very low |
| Flinders Island Airport |
16.6 |
+0.4 |
23.8 |
9.6 |
+0.6 |
0.8 |
19 |
81 |
very low |
| Bicheno |
16.9 |
+0.5 |
21.3 |
8.0 |
-0.4 |
4.5 |
9 |
57 |
very low |
| Bridport |
15.9 |
-0.1 |
21.1 |
7.3 |
-0.6 |
1.8 |
15 |
57 |
lowest |
| Bull Bay |
15.4 |
+0.4 |
22.0 |
7.9 |
-0.3 |
2.8 |
43 |
40 |
normal |
| Bushy Park |
15.2 |
+1.0 |
24.3 |
3.6 |
-0.5 |
-2.0 |
51 |
46 |
high |
| Campania |
16.1 |
|
23.0 |
6.0 |
|
-1.0 |
22 |
|
|
Cape Bruny
|
14.1 |
+0.7 |
20.5 |
8.3 |
+0.1 |
6.0
|
85 |
85 |
normal |
Cape Grim
|
14.5 |
-0.1 |
18.0 |
10.2 |
0 |
7.0 |
23 |
74 |
very low |
Cressy
|
15.4 |
|
21.8 |
3.1 |
|
-4.4 |
9 |
|
|
| Dover |
14.8 |
+0.1 |
21.9 |
6.7 |
+0.9 |
0.7 |
66 |
72 |
normal |
| Eddystone Point |
16.4 |
+0.7 |
20.1 |
9.5 |
-0.1 |
4.5 |
9 |
67 |
very low |
| Fingal |
15.7 |
+0.5 |
22.2 |
3.0 |
+0.1 |
-4.2 |
5 |
51 |
very low |
| Friendly Beaches |
16.4 |
|
21.4 |
7.8 |
|
3.1 |
10 |
|
|
| Geeveston |
14.4 |
-0.1 |
22.0 |
5.1 |
+0.7 |
-1.5 |
81 |
71 |
normal |
| Grove |
15.2 |
+0.7 |
23.1 |
5.3 |
+1.0 |
-1.6 |
54 |
60 |
normal |
| Grove |
15.1 |
|
22.8 |
4.8 |
|
-2.2 |
56 |
|
|
| Hartz Mountain |
8.3 |
|
16.2 |
3.1 |
|
-2.5 |
|
|
|
| Hobart Airport |
16.1 |
+0.9 |
23.7 |
7.7 |
+1.1 |
3.3 |
23 |
36 |
normal |
| Lake Leake |
11.5 |
+0.1 |
18.3 |
2.4 |
+0.3 |
-4.3 |
24 |
74 |
low |
Lake St Clair
|
10.0 |
-0.3 |
17.8 |
2.1 |
+0.6 |
-3.7 |
180 |
158 |
normal |
| Launceston Airport |
15.5 |
|
21.7 |
3.8 |
|
-2.6 |
7 |
|
|
Launceston Airport (old site)
|
14.9 |
+1.0 |
20.9 |
3.8 |
-0.8 |
-2.6 |
9 |
60 |
very low |
| Liawenee |
9.0 |
|
16.4 |
-0.1 |
|
-7.1 |
|
|
|
| Low Head |
15.5 |
|
18.3 |
9.6 |
|
4.9 |
13 |
|
|
| Luncheon Hill |
12.6 |
-0.6 |
15.7 |
6.8 |
-0.2 |
2.7 |
115 |
|
|
Maatsuyker Island
|
12.5 |
-0.2 |
20.4 |
8.3 |
-0.1 |
2.2 |
72 |
116 |
low |
| Maria Island |
15.4 |
|
19.3 |
9.1 |
|
4.0 |
16 |
|
|
| Marrawah |
14.5 |
-0.3 |
17.7 |
9.1 |
0 |
5.3 |
56 |
104 |
low |
Maydena
|
13.0 |
-0.2 |
21.8 |
4.1 |
0 |
-1.0 |
126 |
95 |
high |
| Melton Mowbray |
14.5 |
|
22.5 |
5.2 |
|
-3.1 |
19 |
|
|
| Moogara |
11.2 |
+0.2 |
19.2 |
4.2 |
0 |
-0.2 |
84 |
60 |
high |
| Mount Read |
6.1 |
|
10.8 |
1.8 |
|
-3.0 |
495 |
|
|
| Mount Wellington |
6.0 |
+0.7 |
12.4 |
0.4 |
0 |
-5.7 |
|
|
|
| Orford |
15.7 |
0 |
19.1 |
6.8 |
+0.6 |
1.5 |
24 |
60 |
low |
| Ouse Fire Station |
15.0 |
|
24.4 |
4.1 |
|
-2.8 |
36 |
|
|
| Powranna |
15.1 |
+0.7 |
22.0 |
3.9 |
-0.1 |
-3.0 |
8 |
43 |
lowest |
| Ross |
14.8 |
+0.6 |
21.7 |
3.4 |
+0.1 |
-4.1 |
9 |
24 |
low |
| Scamander |
16.7 |
+0.2 |
22.9 |
7.6 |
+0.1 |
4.0 |
2 |
57 |
lowest |
| Scotts Peak Dam |
11.3 |
|
17.8 |
5.4 |
|
0.5 |
|
|
|
| Scottsdale |
14.8 |
-0.1 |
20.2 |
4.9 |
-1.0 |
-0.2 |
13 |
101 |
very low |
Sheffield
|
13.9 |
|
19.0 |
5.4 |
|
1.5 |
20 |
|
|
Smithton
|
15.4 |
|
19.2 |
6.2 |
|
0.0 |
43 |
|
|
St Helens
|
16.0 |
|
22.1 |
7.0 |
|
1.1 |
7 |
|
|
| Swan Island |
15.7 |
|
21.6 |
10.7 |
|
6.5 |
14 |
|
|
Tarraleah
|
11.4 |
+0.4 |
22.0 |
2.9 |
+0.6 |
-0.5 |
92 |
103 |
normal |
| Tasman Island |
13.0 |
|
19.6 |
8.0 |
|
1.1 |
78 |
|
|
Tunnack
|
12.4 |
|
18.2 |
3.7 |
|
-3.3 |
23 |
|
|
| Warra |
11.1 |
|
18.2 |
4.8 |
|
-0.1 |
|
|
|
Wynyard
|
15.4 |
+0.4 |
18.9 |
5.0 |
-0.1 |
-0.5 |
34 |
97 |
very low |
Record Low Total Rainfall for longer periods
Record Lowest Total Rainfall for January to May |
|
Total rainfall
for January to May 2005 (mm)
|
Previous lowest
for January to May
|
Years of
record |
| Frankford |
132.6 |
133.1 |
in 1967 |
111 |
| Ulverstone |
137.4 |
139.3 |
in 1967 |
103 |
| Burnie |
137.1 |
162.0 |
in 2002 |
59 |
| Lorinna |
219.0 |
238.8 |
in 1953 |
49 |
Devonport
|
89.0 |
121.1 |
in 1967 |
41 |
| Forthside |
123.6 |
134.3 |
in 1967 |
40 |
| Scottsdale |
133.8 |
198.6 |
in 2002 |
33 |
Wynyard
|
171.2 |
176.0 |
in 2002 |
32 |
| Westbury |
128.2 |
146.4 |
in 1991 |
27 |
| Launceston |
110.6 |
131.0 |
in 2002 |
25 |
Several other sites (including Lilydale, Pioneer, Elliot, Flinders
Island Airport, Ringarooma, Latrobe, Gladstone, Lady Barron, Launceston
Airport and Memana) have had their driest January-to-May since 1967.
Record Lowest Total Rainfall for the 9 months September to May |
|
Total rainfall
for September 2004 to May 2005 (mm)
|
Previous lowest
for September to May
|
Years of
record |
| Frankford |
361.2 |
368.5 |
in 1897 |
110 |
| Ulverstone |
333.1 |
347.7 |
in 1935 |
99 |
| Latrobe |
342.8 |
345.3 |
in 1940 |
98 |
Launceston Airport (old site)
|
279.0 |
281.8 |
in 1935 |
74 |
| City of Melbourne Bay |
440.6 |
482.3 |
in 1940 |
70 |
| Burnie |
304.8 |
436.2 |
in 1990 |
55 |
| Lorinna |
483.6 |
527.6 |
in 1919 |
45 |
Devonport
|
285.6 |
345.4 |
in 1999 |
41 |
| Pyengana |
479.9 |
543.2 |
in 1966 |
41 |
Barrington
|
419.8 |
495.6 |
in 1994 |
37 |
Forthside
|
342.7 |
457.2 |
in 1994 |
35 |
| Marrawah |
505.2 |
539.2 |
in 2002 |
34 |
| Scottsdale |
375.2 |
416.8 |
in 1987 |
33 |
Wynyard
|
409.3 |
447.6 |
in 1965 |
31 |
| Westbury |
286.4 |
374.4 |
in 1990 |
25 |
| Launceston |
300.4 |
345.0 |
in 1997 |
24 |
Some other sites have had their driest September-to-May for many years, for some as far back as 1920.
Record Lowest Total Rainfall for the 10 months August to May |
|
Total rainfall
for August 2004 to May 2005 (mm)
|
Previous lowest
for August to May
|
Years of
record |
| Irishtown |
613.8 |
617.4 |
in 1940 |
90 |
Launceston Airport (old site)
|
312.0 |
326.8 |
in 1935 |
74 |
| Burnie |
399.4 |
512.8 |
in 1965 |
54 |
Devonport
|
348.6 |
387.4 |
in 1994 |
41 |
| Pyengana |
569.9 |
652.4 |
in 1966 |
40 |
| Barrington |
519.8 |
540.8 |
in 1994 |
37 |
Forthside
|
375.9 |
491.2 |
in 1994 |
34 |
| Scottsdale |
439.0 |
482.0 |
in 1987 |
33 |
| Westbury |
344.4 |
427.5 |
in 1987 |
25 |
| Launceston |
346.3 |
396.6 |
in 1997 |
24 |
Several sites (including Yambacoona, Ulverstone, Mole Creek, City of
Melbourne Bay, Frankford, Yolla, Latrobe and Ringarooma) have had their
driest August-to-May since at least 1940.
Record Lowest Total Rainfall for the 12 months June to May |
|
Total rainfall
for June 2004 to May 2005 (mm)
|
Previous lowest
for June to May
|
Years of
record |
Forthside
| 578.5 |
642.2 |
in 1994 |
34 |
| Launceston |
472.5 |
473.4 |
in 1997 |
24 |
| Scamander |
496.1 |
505.4 |
in 1979 |
20 |
Note
This statement has been prepared based on information available at
10 am on Wednesday 1 June 2005
. Although every effort has been made to check them,
it is possible that results will change as new information becomes available.
"Normals" are based on
all available years of record, which vary widely from site to site
. Sites without normals shown do no have sufficient record for them to be calculated reliably.
The "Ranking" indicates about where rainfall this time ranks in the climate record for the site.
Further information
Climate Services Section
Tasmania and Antarctica Regional Office
Bureau of Meteorology
Phone (03) 6221 2043
Email mailto:climate.tas@bom.gov.au - climate.tas@bom.gov.au
