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Wednesday, 2 April 2003
MONTHLY CLIMATE SUMMARY - ACT METEOROLOGICAL OFFICE
Canberra thunderstorm activity a record for March
The weather in the ACT in March this year was notable for the high frequency of
thunderstorms and near normal rainfall, following the prolonged drought. Average
daily hours of sunshine was also well above average.
Rainfall: Total March rainfall at Canberra airport was 58.4 millimetres
over 10 days, slightly above the monthly average of 52.6mm over 10 days. The
highest rainfall totals reported in the ACT were 62.4mm at Bruce AIS and
58.6mm at the Botanic Gardens. Much of the rain was a result of thunderstorm
activity. There were nine days when thunder was heard at the airport, the
highest on record for March and well above the monthly average of two days. A
severe thunderstorm occurred at the airport on the evening of 14 March and
37.8mm of rain was recorded in one hour. Hail also fell.
Temperature: The average maximum temperature at Canberra airport for March
was 23.7 degrees Celsius, slightly below the long-term mean of 24.4 degrees.
There were no days with maximum temperature above 30 degrees compared with an average of
2.8 days. The average minimum temperature for the month was 9.9 degrees, again slightly
below the long-term mean of 10.7 degrees. There were two frosts (average 0.4), and the
mean ground temperature was 6.6 degrees, below the long-term mean of 8.0 degrees. The
overall average temperature for the month was 16.8 degrees, only slightly below the
long-term mean of 17.5 degrees.
Other: Total evaporation for the month was 156.0mm, which is below the long-term
average of 170.4mm. Wind was close to average. The mean daily wind run at two metres
was 166 kilometres a day compared with the long-term mean of 165 km/day. The strongest
wind gust at the airport was 59 km/h from the west-northwest on 1 March. There was
one day of strong winds (average one day) and there were two days of fog
(average 2.3 days) for the month. Sunshine averaged 9.0 hours a day, well above the
long-term mean of 7.9 hr/day and the third highest in 26 years of records. The average
air pressure for March was 1016.4 hectopascals, below the long-term mean of 1018.0 hPa.
Summary for Canberra airport, March 2003
Mean maximum temperature: 23.7°C (av 24.4°C)
Highest maximum temperature: 28.3°C (13 March)
Lowest maximum temperature: 17.3°C (20 March)
Mean minimum temperature: 9.9°C (av 10.7°C)
Highest minimum temperature: 14.5°C (28 March)
Lowest minimum temperature: 2.5°C (2 March)
Mean daily temperature: 16.8°C (av 17.5°C)
Lowest grass temperature: minus 2.7°C (2 March)
Total monthly rainfall: 58.4mm (av 52.6mm)
Total monthly evaporation: 156.0mm (av 170.4mm)
Mean daily sunshine: 9.0 hr/day (av 7.9 hr/day)
Mean daily pressure: 1016.4 hPa (av 1018.0 hPa)
Mean daily wind run (at 2 metres): 166.0 km/day (av 165.0 km/day)
Ends
Further information:
Clem Davis, Canberra Meteorological Office, tel: (02) 6249 6269, e-mail: c.davis@bom.gov.au
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