MEDIA RELEASE

SUMMARY
Rainfall was above to very much above average over the interiors of the state, and near average elsewhere. Maximum and minimum temperatures were near normal.

RAINFALL
Pastoral Districts
November rainfall was above average to very much above average over much of the Pastoral Districts, including the North-East District.
Totals in excess of 50 millimetres were reported from many stations between Lake Gairdner and Lake Frome, with Nonning receiving 99mm for the month.
Andamooka with 55mm and Oodnadatta with 54mm received their highest November rainfalls on record. Rainfalls within the 10 to 25mm range were mostly confined to the western part of the North-West Pastoral District.

Settled Areas
Most of the Murray Mallee recorded its wettest November on record. The Lower South-East was below average, as was the Lower Eyre Peninsula extending eastwards from Mt Hope to Lock and Cummins. Elsewhere rainfalls were average.

Most of the Murray Mallee received rainfalls greater than 50mm. Rainfall was within the 25 to 50mm range over the remainder of the settled districts, with the exception of the Lower South-East and small coastal pockets of the Western Agricultural District. All of the Lower South-East recorded falls well below 25mm, with Beachport only receiving 11mm for the month. Mt Hope on the Eyre Peninsula received 3mm.

Peebinga, in the Murray Mallee, recorded 96mm of rain, which was its highest on record for November and also the highest recorded in the settled areas.

TEMPERATURE
Maximum
Mean maximum temperatures for November 1998 were within one degree Celsius over most of South Australia.

In the Pastoral Districts, mean maximum temperatures ranged from 32.6 degrees C at Marla in the north to 28.1 degrees C at Port Augusta in the south. In the settled areas, mean maxima ranged from 18.2 degrees C at Parawa on the southern Fleurieu Peninsula to 28.8 degrees C at Kyancutta on the Eyre Peninsula.

The highest maximum recorded during the month was 43.2 degrees C at Marla on 23 November.

Minimum
Mean minimum temperatures for November were within one degree C of normal over most of South Australia.

In the Pastoral Districts, mean minimum temperatures ranged from 15.1 degrees C at Tarcoola and Port Augusta in the south, to 19.5 degrees C at Moomba in the north-east. In the settled areas, mean minima ranged from 7.1 degrees C at Coonawarra in the south-east to 14.7 degrees C at Whyalla in the northern Spencer Gulf region.

The lowest November minimum was 1.0 degree C recorded at Coonawarra on 1 November and at Struan on 18 November.

SIGNIFICANT WEATHER
An isolated thunderstorm at Woomera on 5 November produced wind gusts to 105 kilometres an hour. No damage was reported.

A fast moving front brought thunderstorms to the southern settled areas during the evening of 6 November and the next morning. Lightning strikes in the early morning of 7 November caused electrical damage to four houses at Coromandel Valley, a southern suburb of Adelaide.

On 11 November a combination of a slow moving low pressure system and an infeed of moist air from the north-west produced some extreme 24-hour rainfall events across the northern Eyre Peninsula (see Table 1 below).

A line of thunderstorms which moved across the Pastoral Districts on 23 November produced wind gusts to 104kmh. Some insignificant damage was reported at Coober Pedy.

A dust devil swept through parts of Newton, a suburb north-east of Adelaide on the afternoon of 30 November. Five properties received some damage, mainly confined to roofs and gardens.

Table 1: November Rainfall Extremes for 24 hour period ending 9am, 11 November, 1998.
Place ... Years of record ... New Rainfall Extreme ... Old Rainfall Extreme
Nonning, 96 years, 89.2mm, 38.6mm on 18/11/1946
Iron Knob, 88 years, 59.2mm, 43.2mm on 18/11/1946
Wilpena Chalet, 37 years, 53.8mm, 39.2mm, 19/11/1992
Mt I've, 118 years, 66.0mm, 31.8mm on 3/11/1991

ADELAIDE WEATHER
November Rainfall
Adelaide's rainfall for November 1998 was 30.6mm on seven days and is 2.4mm below the estimated normal of 33mm on eight days. Last year, Adelaide's November rainfall was well above average, with the total being 44.8mm on five days.
The total for the first 11 months of 1998 is 535.2mm compared with the normal of 557mm. Last year 472.6mm fell in the first 11 months of the year.

Spring Rainfall
Adelaide's rainfall for spring 1998 was 152.4mm, above the spring average of 141mm. Last year Adelaide received 178.6mm in spring.

November Temperatures
The mean maximum temperature for November 1998 was 24.3 degrees C, which is 0.3 degrees C below the normal November mean maximum of 24.6 degrees C. The mean November 1997 maximum was 26.4 degrees C.
The mean minimum temperature for November 1998 was 13.2 degrees C, which is 0.5 degrees C below the normal November mean minimum of 13.7 degrees C. The mean November 1997 minimum was 14.9 degrees C.

Spring Temperatures
The mean maximum temperature for spring was 21.8 degrees C, which is 0.1 degrees C above the normal spring mean maximum of 21.7 degrees C. The mean maximum for last spring was 22.3 degrees C.

The mean minimum temperature for spring was 11.6 degrees C, which is 0.5 degrees C above the normal spring mean minimum of 11.1 degrees C. The mean minimum for last spring was 12.4 degrees C.

Ends

For further information contact: Kevin Burrows, (08) 8366 2691

Poll fax (08) 1902 935284 for the full South Australian Climatic Summary, November 1998, including rainfall and temperatures at selected stations, a summary of observations at Adelaide, and a rainfall distribution map.