Thursday 5th January, 2006

MEDIA RELEASE - QUEENSLAND REGIONAL OFFICE

Hot December ends warmest year on record for Queensland

2005 was the warmest year on record for Queensland the Bureau of Meteorology Queensland Regional Office announced today.

“This matches the warmest year on record for Australia as a whole, and Queensland’s temperatures certainly contributed to it”, said the Queensland Regional Director, Mr Jim Davidson.

“The record takes into account the combination of daily maximum and minimum temperatures averaged across the state as a whole”, he said. “After a hot start to the year, we experienced a mild autumn and winter, and finished with record hot temperatures in December”.

For Queensland as a whole, December recorded the highest mean monthly maximum temperature with many places breaking longstanding records. Georgetown recorded an average maximum temperature of 40.3C, 4.3 degrees above the December average. This is its hottest December (or any month) in 110 years of record.

Other new mean maximum records for any month recorded during December include

Collinsville 37.8C (average 33.9C, 43 years of record)
Mackay 33.8C (average 30.0C, 47 years of record)
Longreach 41.0C (average 37.4C, 39 years of record)
Rockhampton 35.4C, (average 32.1C, 67 years of record)
Oakey 34.2C (average 30.2C, 32 years of record)

Places with new mean maximum temperature records for December include

Cairns 33.2 C (average 31.3C, 64 years of record, equal record also recorded in 1995)
St Lawrence 33.7C (average 31.5C, 64 years of record)
Lady Elliot Island 30.3C (average 28.5C, 66 years of record)
Cape Moreton Lighthouse 28.5C (average 26.0C, 92 years of record)
Nambour 32.0C (average 29.1C, 44 years of record)
Quilpie 39.3C (average 36.4C, 62 years of record)

Rainfall for 2005 was generally below average across the state. Much of the northern tropics recorded totals well below normal, as did parts of the southern interior.

December was also very dry in many areas. The Mackay meteorological office recorded no rainfall for the entire month. This is the lowest in 47 years of record and compares with a December average of 182mm. Te Kowai also recorded no rainfall in December for the first time in its 117 years of record (average 180mm).

There were some exceptions with parts of the Darling Downs and Burnett recording above average rainfall, largely due to thunderstorms. Drillham Post Office on the west Darling Downs recorded a December total of 224.4mm, the highest in its 72 years of record (average 87mm).

“Despite the disappointing start to the wet season, the January to March period is normally the wettest time of year for much of the state” said Mr Davidson. “Rainfall is highly variable, and at this time of year the paths of individual weather systems such as tropical cyclones and rain depressions can make all the difference on where the heaviest rains fall. There’s nothing in our current outlook to suggest that rainfall patterns during the rest of the wet season will be unusual”.

For further information, please contact Ann Farrell on (07)32398660.
After-hour enquiries should be directed to the senior forecaster on (07)32398750.

The latest temperature/rainfall maps and seasonal outlooks for Queensland are available at
http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/austmaps/
http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/ahead/

World Wide Web www.bom.gov.au
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