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SEASONAL CLIMATE SUMMARY - NORTHERN TERRITORY

Hot in the southeast, plentiful early and late rains elsewhere - Northern Territory Wet Season (October 2005 to April 2006)

Overview

The 2005/2006 wet season was wetter than normal over most of the Territory; the only significant departure being the far southeast corner. Substantial early and late season rains contributed, as did the January monsoon low that traversed through the Victoria River and Tanami regions. A remarkable hot spell occurred in central Australia, with several new hot temperature records established at Alice Springs. Where rain was high, daytime temperatures tended to be below average, but minimum temperatures were generally above average throughout the Territory.

Rainfall

The wet season in the Territory started with above average rainfall from the base of the Top End southward to the Alice Springs district. Several new rainfall records were established in the Barkly and Alice Springs districts. Plentiful rains continued through the early wet season months, in contrast to the previous year, when rainfall was below average over most of the Territory for most of the season. Despite above average early rains, the monsoon was later than normal, with the monsoon trough not becoming well established over the continent until middle January. This monsoon event was highlighted by a vigorous monsoon low that traversed across the Victoria River and Tanami regions, while fresh to strong northwesterly winds persisted over the western Top End for almost two weeks. This active phase weakened near the end of the month, and the Territory saw a torrid February. March and April deviated from the typical active/break cycle of the monsoon, with persistently active monsoon conditions throughout March, culminating in an unusually late monsoon burst in early April. A very brief pause in the monsoon occurred in middle April, giving the impression that dry season type conditions had become established, but the season wasn’t over yet. Tropical Cyclone Monica developed over the Coral Sea, before crossing over Cape York Peninsular and intensifying to one of the most intense cyclones seen in Australian waters. It crossed the north coast of Arnhem Land, only just sparring Maningrida the most destructive of its winds. It weakened quite quickly, but not before Oenpelli and Jabiru suffered some impact. This southward deviation in its track meant it weakened to below tropical cyclone intensity before passing near Darwin city on ANZAC day. In the next few days, as it moved south and then eastward, it gave even more late season rain over a broad area.

Temperature

The year leading up to the start of this wet season was one of the hottest on record at many recording sites in the Territory. In central Australia, this trend persisted, with a remarkable hot spell being recorded. During this wet season, Alice Springs Airport established hot spell records for the most consecutive days and nights above numerous thresholds. Details are included in the March summary. During this period, Jervois recorded the hottest night ever recorded in the Territory, with a minimum of 33.7 on 5 January. Elsewhere, daytime temperatures were generally below average in areas where rainfall was high, while minimum temperatures were above average across most of the Territory.

A table of Territory extremes, some new records, and summaries for sites across the Territory appear below.

Notes

This statement has been prepared based on information available at 10 am on Tuesday 16 May. Although every effort has been made to verify the data, it is possible that results will change as new information becomes available.

* denotes that one or more observations missing, or that the data is unconfirmed

Further information

The Daily Weather Observations lists daily temperatures and rainfall, plus many other meteorological variables, at more than 50 locations across the Territory (and over 700 across Australia). Data from the last 13 months are available from this web site.

Monthly rainfall and temperature maps are also available.

Further climate data and information can be obtained from:
Climate and Consultative Services
Northern Territory Regional Office
Bureau of Meteorology
Phone (08) 8920 3813
Email climate.nt@bom.gov.au

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