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Wednesday, 2 October 2002
MONTHLY CLIMATE SUMMARY - NSW REGIONAL OFFICE
September rainfall leaves little to celebrate in NSW
September rainfall:
Rainfall in New South Wales in September continued to be below average along the coast, adjacent ranges and
the Victorian border regions. However the center of the State received some useful rain, mainly due to
a solitary weather event. Rainfall of varying intensity was reported in all districts on
17 September. Falls were mostly light in the south-west and far north coast, and moderate in most
other parts. The Southwest Slopes and Southern Tablelands regions received more falls on the 18th
as the rain band contracted to the east. The rainfall was due to a passing cold front that swept
across the entire State
(see map 1).
July to September 2002 rainfall:
Rainfall in the three months ending September, though low, was something of an improvement. There was a
slight reduction in the area of the State recording the lowest 10 per cent of usual rainfall
for the period. While the extent of the especially-dry area might have contracted, in general the State
remains in the lowest 20 to 30 per cent of usual rainfall for this period
(see map 2).
September temperatures:
Maximum temperatures were generally above average across the State. The anomalies were greater than normal
by more than 3 degrees Celsius in the northern parts of the Northwest Slopes and Plains, the Northern
Tablelands, and parts of the Mid-North Coast
(see map 3).
The mean monthly minimum temperatures were generally above average in the north-west of the State
and within plus or minus one degree of average elsewhere
(see map 4).
September's temperature anomalies were generally unchanged on the previous month - a mostly clear-sky
regime giving high maxima and fairly low minima. This persistent weather pattern corresponds to the
dry conditions being experienced.
A note about deciles:
Deciles are used to give an element (in this case rainfall) a ranking. Deciles are
calculated by arranging the totals in ascending order (from lowest to highest) then splitting them into
10 equal groups (thus the groups are called deciles). The first group would be in decile range one,
the second group in decile range two, etc up to the highest annual totals (highest 10 per cent)
being in decile range 10.
Further information:
A directory of Bureau services is available on poll fax: 1800 630 100
For the latest rainfall and temperature maps, see: http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/austmaps/
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