Thursday, 2 June 2005

MONTHLY CLIMATE SUMMARY - ACT

Record warm May in ACT as the rains stay away

Temperature: The average daytime maximum temperature in the ACT in May this year was 18.4 degrees Celsius, an all-time record for the month. The average was close to 3 degrees above the long-term average of 15.4 degrees. The average daily minimum temperature of 2.2 degrees was almost 1 degree below the long-term average of 3.1 degrees, while the mean daily temperature of 10.3 degrees was just below average.

There were 15 frosts in May – two more than average – due to the low minimum temperatures and the clear skies. The frosts coincided with a drop in the ground temperature to minus 0.9 degrees or lower. The ground minimum temperature dropped to minus 5.0 degrees or lower on four occasions. There were two fogs in May, five less than average.

Rainfall: Only 0.8 millimetres of rain was recorded at Canberra airport in May, making it one of the driest months of May on record. The total was considerably less than the average of 46.3 mm. Rain was recorded over two days compared with the average of eight. There were no thunderstorms at the airport. Rainfall across the ACT mostly reflected the dry conditions. The highest total was 2.2 mm at Kambah on 18 May.

Other: High pressure systems dominated the area in May, and atmospheric pressure was above average. The average daily hours of sunshine was 7.8 hours a day, well above the average of 5.8 hr/day. The average wind run of 142 kilometres a day at two metres was less than the mean of 152 km/day. There were no days of strong winds compared with the average of one day.

Summary for Canberra airport, May 2005

Mean maximum temperature: 18.4°C (av 15.4°C)
Highest maximum temperature: 23.9°C (5 May)
Lowest maximum temperature: 13.2°C (28 May)
Mean minimum temperature: 2.2°C (av 3.1°C)
Highest minimum temperature: 10.0°C (7 May)
Lowest minimum temperature: minus 3.7°C (21 May)
Mean daily temperature: 10.3°C (av 10.8°C)
Lowest grass temperature: minus 5.7°C (26 May)
Total monthly rainfall: 0.8 mm (av 46.3 mm)
Total monthly evaporation: 83.6 mm (av 69.1 mm)
Mean daily sunshine: 7.8 hr/day (av 5.8 hr/day)
Mean daily pressure: 1022.3 hPa (av 1020.5 hPa)
Mean daily wind run (at 2 metres): 142 km/day (av 152 km/day)

Further information:
Ken Batt, Canberra Meteorological Office, tel: (02) 6249 6269, e-mail: K.Batt@bom.gov.au

Ends