Cooler than normal overnight temperatures indicated for northern NSW

The outlook for daytime temperatures for the February to April period shows no significant shift towards either warmer or cooler than normal conditions over most of southeastern Australia with the exception of northwestern South Australia where the odds slightly favour cooler days. Meanwhile, the outlook for night-time temperatures averaged over February to April indicates a moderate shift in the odds favouring cooler than normal minimum temperatures over northern NSW.

Cooler days are more likely in northwestern SA, where the odds are around 40% of exceeding the median maximum temperature for the February to April period. This means for every ten years with ocean patterns like the current, about six would be expected to be cooler than average in terms of daytime temperatures averaged over February to April, while four would be expected to be warmer. However, over the remainder of the southeastern region, the outlook shows no strong bias towards either warmer or cooler conditions which means that the chances of day time temperatures being warmer than normal are about the same as the chances of being cooler. Outlook confidence is related to how consistently the Pacific and Indian Oceans affect Australian temperatures. During February to April, history shows this effect on maximum temperatures to be moderately consistent along coastal NSW north of Sydney, over parts of Victoria and southern SA and the northeast of Tasmania. However, over most of inland SA, inland NSW and much of Tasmania, confidence is only weakly consistent, so this outlook needs to be used with caution in these areas (see background information). The odds for average overnight temperatures exceeding the median over February to April is between 30 and 40% in northern NSW and the far northeast of SA (see map). This means for every 10 years with ocean patterns like the current, about six would be expected to be cooler than average in terms of night time temperatures averaged over February to April, while about four are expected to be warmer. However, over the remainder of the southeastern region the outlook shows no strong bias towards either warmer or cooler conditions, with the chances of overnight temperatures being warmer than normal are about the same as the chances of being cooler. History shows the oceans' effect on minimum temperatures from February to April to be moderately consistent over the southern half of SA, the northeast and the southern inland of NSW and over small patches in Victoria. However, over the northern half of SA, much of central and western NSW, most of Victoria and Tasmania, the effect is generally only weakly consistent, so this outlook needs to be used with caution in these areas.

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More information on this outlook is available Monday to Friday from 9.00am to 5.00pm local time by contacting the Bureau's Climate Services sections in Queensland, NSW, SA, Victoria and Tasmania at the following numbers:

THE NEXT ISSUE OF THE SEASONAL OUTLOOK IS EXPECTED BY 20^th February 2009

Corresponding rainfall outlook

Maximum temperature departures from average for October to December 2008 - base period 1961-1990

Minimum temperature departures from average for October to December 2008 - base period 1961-1990

Background Information

• The Bureau's seasonal outlooks are general statements about the probability or risk of wetter or drier than average weather over a three-month period. The outlooks are based on the statistics of chance (the odds) taken from Australian rainfall/temperatures and sea surface temperature records for the tropical Pacific and Indian Oceans. They are not, however, categorical predictions about future rainfall, and they are not about rainfall within individual months of the three-month outlook period. The temperature outlooks are for the average maximum and minimum temperatures for the entire three-month outlook period. Information about whether individual days or weeks may be unusually hot or cold, is unavailable.

• This outlook is a summary. More detail is available from the contact people or from SILO (www.bom.gov.au/silo/products/SClimate.shtml).

• Probability outlooks should not be used as if they were categorical forecasts. More on probabilities is contained in the booklet The Seasonal Climate Outlook - What it is and how to use it, available from the National Climate Centre. These outlooks should be used as a tool in risk management and decision making. The benefits accrue from long-term use, say over 10 years. At any given time, the probabilities may seem inaccurate, but taken over several years, the advantages of taking account of the risks should outweigh the disadvantages. For more information on the use of probabilities, farmers could contact their local departments of agriculture or primary industry.

• Model Consistency and Outlook Confidence: Strong consistency means that tests of the model on historical data show a high correlation between the most likely outlook category (above/below median) and the verifying observation (above/below median). In this situation relatively high confidence can be placed in the outlook probabilities. Low consistency means the historical relationship, and therefore outlook confidence, is weak. In the places and seasons where the outlooks are most skilful, the category of the eventual outcome (above or below median) is consistent with the category favoured in the outlook about 75% of the time. In the least skilful areas, the outlooks perform no better than random chance or guessing. The rainfall outlooks perform best in eastern and northern Australia between July and January, but are less useful in autumn and in the west of the continent. The skill at predicting seasonal maximum temperature peaks in early winter and drops off marginally during the second half of the year. The lowest point in skill occurs in early autumn. The skill at predicting seasonal minimum temperature peaks in late autumn and again in mid-spring. There are also two distinct periods when the skill is lowest - namely late summer and mid-winter. However, it must always be remembered that the outlooks are statements of chance or risk. For example, if you were told there was a 50:50 chance of a horse winning a race but it ran second, the original assessment of a 50:50 chance could still have been correct.

• The Southern Oscillation Index (SOI) is calculated using the barometric pressure difference between Tahiti and Darwin. The SOI is one indicator of the stage of El Niño or La Niña events in the tropical Pacific Ocean. It is best considered in conjunction with sea-surface temperatures, which form the basis of the outlooks. A moderate to strongly negative SOI (persistently below –10) is usually characteristic of El Niño, which is often associated with below average rainfall over eastern Australia, and a weaker than normal monsoon in the north. A moderate to strongly positive SOI (persistently above +10) is usually characteristic of La Niña, which is often associated with above average rainfall over parts of tropical and eastern Australia, and an earlier than normal start to the northern monsoon season. The Australian impacts of 23 El Niño events since 1900 are summarized on the Bureau's web site (www.bom.gov.au/climate/enso/).