MONTHLY CLIMATE SUMMARY - NORTHERN TERRITORY REGIONAL OFFICE

Close to average August weather in NT

Rainfall: The territory's most notable rainfall event in August this year was in Darwin's northern suburbs in the early hours of 6 August. The 48.8 millimetres recorded at Karama was the highest monthly and 24-hour total for August. The station's mean August total is 4.2 mm. Leanyer reported a record high 37.4 mm for the month, breaking the previous record of 10.4 mm set in 1996. The station's mean August total is 1.6 mm. However a few kilometres to the south, Darwin airport reported only 1.6 mm for the month, a little less than its August mean of 5.7 mm. The highest total outside this area was at Cape Wessel where 26.0 mm was reported for the month.

Southern areas were virtually rain free until the last three days of the month when a cold front - associated with an intense low pressure system that had moved through the Great Australia Bight - brought widespread rain and shower activity to much of the Alice Springs district and southern parts of the Barkly district. Falls were not heavy. The highest total from those parts was 11.2 mm at Mereenie. Elsewhere in the territory, any rain that fell was but scanty and shortlived.

Maximum temperatures: Mean maximum temperatures over the northern half of the territory were near average, except for an area over the north-west portion of the Arnhem district where maximum temperatures were 1-2 degrees Celsius below average. The southern half of the territory also reported near average mean maximum temperatures, with the exception of much of the western half and the far south-east portions of the Alice Springs district, where mean maximum temperatures were 1-2 degrees above average.

Elliott in the Barkly district reported the territory's highest maximum temperature of 36.1 degrees on 2 August. Arltunga (Alice Springs district) reported the lowest maximum temperature of 15.6 degrees on 29 August. The highest mean maximum temperature was 33.6 degrees at Mango farm (Darwin-Daly district). The lowest was 22.0 degrees at Kulgera (Alice Springs district).

Minimum temperatures: Mean minimum temperatures were 3-4 degrees below average over the Katherine area, grading to near normal moving north and south. Western and eastern border areas of the northern half were largely 1-2 degrees below average. In contrast, the southern half of the territory reported mean minimum temperatures of 1-2 degrees above average over eastern and southern portions of the Alice Springs district, grading to near normal over its western and northern parts.

Arltunga in the Alice Springs district reported the territory's lowest minimum temperature of minus 1.6 degrees on 20 August. Darwin Aiport (Darwin-Daly district) had the highest minimum temperature of 24.2 degrees on 30 August. The lowest mean minimum temperature was 5.0 degrees at Yulara Aero automatic weather station (Alice Springs district). The highest was 19.8 degrees at Dum In Mirrie weather station in the Darwin-Daly district.

Ends

Further information:
Sam Cleland, Manager, Climate and Consultancy Section, NT Regional Office,
tel: (08) 8920 3813, e-mail: S.Cleland@BoM.GOV.AU
Daily weather observations for many sites in the territory are available.