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Friday, 13 September 2002
SEASONAL CLIMATE SUMMARY - ACT METEOROLOGICAL OFFICE
Winter sun shines and rains stay away in ACT
Winter in the ACT this year was much drier and sunnier than normal, with well above-
average day-time temperatures and generally colder than usual nights.
Rainfall: A total of 80.4 millimetres of rain was recorded over 22 days
at Canberra airport in June, July and August. The average is 128.9mm over 30 days.
The total is in the lowest 20 per cent of winter rainfall records collected
at the airport since 1939. Rainfall for June was slightly above average
(40.8mm, average 39.7), but the totals for July (16.8mm) and August (22.8mm) were
very much less than normal (42.0mm and 47.2mm respectively). One day of thunder was
reported at the airport, which is average for winter.
Temperature: The average daily maximum temperature for winter was 13.5 degrees
Celsius, well above average and the second highest on record. The highest is 13.6 degrees
in 1982. The average is 12.1. The average maximum temperatures for each month
of winter were all well above the long-term mean. The average minimum temperature was
0.1 degrees, slightly below the long-term average of 0.5. There were 63 frosts, more than
the norm of 58. The mean daily temperature was 6.8 degrees, slightly above the long-term
mean of 6.3 degrees.
Sunshine: Sunshine was above average in all months of winter. The mean sunshine
hours was 7.4 hours a day, well above the long-term average of 5.8. June’s average of
6.5 hours a day was the second highest on record; July's average of 7.1 was
the highest on record; while August's 8.5 hours a day was the second highest on record.
Winds: Winter this year was windier than normal due to the very windy conditions in June.
June's average daily wind run at two metres was 240.6 kilometres a day - the highest
on record for the month. The wind run was near average in July and below average in August.
The average wind run for the winter was 207.6km/day compared with the mean of 173.3.
Other: Fogs were reported on 16 days of winter - a little less than the average of 21 days - due to
the generally dry conditions. The winter evaporation total was 214.2mm, well above the mean of
175.6mm and above average in all three months. The average daily pressure was 1021.2 hectopascals,
slightly above the long-term mean of 1020.2hPa.
| Summary for Canberra airport, winter 2002
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| Mean maximum temperature |
13.5 degrees (av 12.1) |
| Highest maximum temperature |
20.0 degrees (11 August) |
| Lowest maximum temperature |
8.9 degrees (2 July) |
| Mean minimum temperature |
0.1 degrees (av 0.5) |
| Highest minimum temperature |
8.9 degrees (8 and 11 June) |
| Lowest minimum temperature |
minus 6.0 degrees (12 July) |
| Mean daily temperature |
6.8 degrees (av 6.3) |
| Lowest grass temperature |
minus 10.6 degrees (30 June) |
| Total winter rainfall |
80.4mm (av 128.9) |
| Total winter evaporation |
214.2mm (av 175.6) |
| Mean daily sunshine |
7.4hr/day (av 5.8) |
| Mean daily pressure |
1021.2hPa (av 1020.2) |
| Mean daily wind run at 2 metres |
207.6km/day (av 173.3) |
Ends
Further information:
Ian Mason, Canberra Meteorological Office, tel: (02) 6249 6269, e-mail: i.mason@bom.gov.au
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