Tuesday, 4 January 2005

MONTHLY CLIMATE SUMMARY - SOUTH AUSTRALIAN REGIONAL OFFICE

Record December rainfall over parts of South Australia

December Rainfall

The highest rainfall during the month in these districts was 79 mm, recorded at Glue Pot Station, in the North East Pastoral district.

Agricultural Districts:
Rainfall totals over the Agricultural Districts were generally very much above average over much of the Murray Valley and Murray Mallee districts. They were above average over most of the Northern districts and much of the Adelaide Plains, County Light and Upper Southeast districts, as well as parts of the Western Agricultural and Mount Lofty Ranges districts. Over most of the remainder of these areas totals were near average.

Rainfall totals in excess of 100 mm were confined to parts of the Lower Murray Valley district. Totals between 50 and 100 mm were mostly reported from the Murray districts, the Northern districts, County Light and Mount Lofty Ranges districts. Over the remaining districts some stations reported totals in the range 25 to 50 mm, but most totals were below 25 mm.

The highest rainfall total for December was 139 mm, recorded at Mannum in the Lower Murray Valley district. This was a record December total for Mannum. Alawoona in the Murray Mallee district also had its wettest December on record.

December Temperatures

Minimum Temperatures:
Mean minimum temperatures over the state were mostly within 1°C of normal, with the exception of parts of the Southeast districts, which were mostly more than 1°C above normal, and parts of the Pastoral districts, north of Lake Eyre, which were more than 1°C below normal. Mean minimum temperatures ranged from 10.9°C at Mt. Barker in the Mount Lofty Ranges and Coonawarra, in the Lower Southeast district, to 21.3°C at Moomba Airport, in the Far North district. The lowest recorded minimum temperature for December was 3.0°C recorded at Coonawarra on the 3rd.

Significant December Weather

On the 9th, 75 mm of rainfall in 30 minutes was reported at Yabmana, with 45 mm in 90 mm recorded at Glenelg.

On the 10th, Mypolonga received 150 mm of rainfall in less than 2 hours and Lucindale reported 57mm in 15 minutes. Golf ball size hail was also reported in Murray Bridge.

The Mount Lofty Ranges district received further flash flooding on the 11th, with reports of 75mm in 1 hour at Mypolonga and 120 mm in 2 hours at Belvedere, southeast of Strathalbyn.

Severe Winds:
On the 3rd a cold front moved across the west of the State producing a wind squall as it passed through Ceduna. A severe wind gust of 111 km/h was reported at Ceduna and 95 km/h at Thevenard.

A deepening low pressure system located over western New South Wales on the 7th and 8th produced strong to gale force southerly winds across the Mount Lofty Ranges district. Gale force winds were reported recurrently at Sellicks Hill from the afternoon of the 7th through until midnight of the 8th, with a squall of 87 km/h and gusts to 109 km/h.

December weather in Adelaide

Temperatures:
The mean maximum temperature for December 2004 was 27.3°C, which is 0.5°C above the normal December mean maximum of 26.8°C. The mean December maximum last year was 29.0°C.

The mean minimum temperature for December 2004 was 15.4°C, which is 0.1°C below the normal December mean minimum of 15.5°C. Last November, the mean minimum was 16.9°C.

Further information:
Richard Szkup, tel: (08) 8366 2691, e-mail: climate.sa@bom.gov.au