Tuesday, 31 May 2005
MEDIA RELEASE - SOUTH AUSTRALIAN REGIONAL OFFICE
Driest Autumn on record in Adelaide
Adelaide has just experienced the driest Autumn in it’s 167 years of record. It also recorded it’s warmest Autumn since 1923.
Autumn 2005
The autumn rainfall for 2005 was 23.0 mm, 104.5 mm below the normal autumn rainfall of 127.5 mm. This has been the driest
Autumn in the 167 years of record in Adelaide. Last autumn Adelaide recorded 105.8 mm.
The mean maximum temperature for Autumn 2005 was 24.4°C, which is 1.9°C above the normal autumn mean maximum of 22.5°C.
The mean maximum for autumn last year was 23.4°C. This has been the warmest Autumn since 1923 and the second warmest on record.
The mean minimum temperature for Autumn 2005 was 13.0°C, which is 0.5°C above the normal autumn mean minimum of 12.5°C.
Last autumn the mean minimum was 12.3°C. This has been the warmest mean minimum since 1990 when 13.4°C was recorded.
May 2005 rainfall
Adelaide’s rainfall for May 2005 was 8.2 mm, recorded on 6 days. This compares with the normal of 62.6 mm, recorded on 13 days.
This has been the driest May since 1959 when only 3.8mm was recorded. Last year 62.8 mm was recorded on 15 days.
The total rainfall for the first five months of 2005 was 70.4mm. This has been the driest first 5 months since 68.2mm was
recorded in 1991. Last year 120.8 mm was recorded over the same period, while normal rainfall for the first five months
is 161.2 mm.
May 2005 temperatures
The mean maximum temperature for May 2005 was 20.9°C, which is 2.0°C above the normal May mean maximum of 18.9°C.
The mean maximum for May last year was 18.8°C. This has been the warmest May since 1947 when it was also 21.0°C.
The mean minimum temperature for May 2005 was 10.3°C, which is 0.1°C above the normal for May. Last May, the mean minimum was 9.4°C.
Ends
MEDIA RELEASE ISSUED 31 May, 2005
Further information:
Richard Szkup, tel: (08) 8366 2691, e-mail: climate.sa@bom.gov.au
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