Tuesday, 6 January 2015 - Annual Climate Summary for Northern Territory - Product code IDCKGC52R0

Northern Territory in 2014: Year of extremes, but average overall

2014 had near-average temperatures and rainfall overall for the Northern Territory, but this masks the extremes experienced throughout the year.

• Warmer than normal mean maximum temperature
• Near-average minimum temperatures for the Northern Territory
• Average to above-average annual rainfall for the Northern Territory
• Active fire season for the northern savannah regions

The Northern Territory recorded warmer than normal temperatures during 2014, with the statewide average temperature 0.29 °C above the historical average (25.2 °C). The Territory's mean daily maximum temperature was 0.51 °C warmer than average (31.9 °C), but a degree cooler than 2013. The Territory experienced two notable heatwaves this year, both across the Top End; the first occurred in early January and the other in November. The latter half of January and February saw below normal temperatures primarily due to monsoonal activity that covered the northern half of the Territory. On 6 January, Darwin Airport set a new January daily maximum temperature record when the mercury rose to 36.0 °C, only to break this record again on the next day with 36.1 °C. Overall, minimum temperatures were very near the long-term average across the NT, but within the year was a stretch of cool minimum temperatures from July to September, generally warmer than normal minimums in November and a run of very warm nights in December.

The average rainfall total for the NT in 2014 is 673.1 mm; 24% above the long-term average. Most of this year's rainfall came early in the year when an active monsoon brought very wet conditions to most of the Northern Territory, however in the second half of the year a slow start to the wet season rainfall meant dry conditions across the NT. An active and prolonged monsoonal period set in around 10 January at Darwin and across the rest of the Top End shortly afterward. The monsoon produced continual, and at times, heavy rainfall over the Top End for most of January and February. Over the course of almost five weeks three tropical low pressure systems moved across the Territory including ex-tropical cyclone Fletcher which moved over the Barkly region and an unnamed tropical cyclone which made landfall near Wadeye (Port Keats). In contrast to the preceding two months, March 2014 was among the driest on record. There were two noteworthy rainfall events in the Northern Territory in April, and several locations along the Top End's east coast set new April rainfall records from the events. Dry season conditions began in May and continued into November, much longer than usual for many locations around the tropical north. Tennant Creek Airport went 230 days without any rainfall, only two days short of the record at that site. 2014 was only the second year on record that Darwin Airport did not receive any rainfall in September. Across the Northern Territory, September and October recorded very much below average rainfall. Wet season rainfall did not begin until late November, resulting in a dry start to the 2014-15 wet season.

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top

Notable events in 2014

Tropical Cyclones

• Fletcher briefly reached tropical cyclone strength over the Gulf of Carpentaria before crossing the Queensland coast south of Gilbert River Mouth, on the evening of 3 February. The system crossed the Northern Territory from 10 to 12 February as ex-tropical cyclone Fletcher, and brought heavy rainfall to the Barkly region
• Gillian was named on 8 March but weakened while over the Gulf of Carpentaria and weakened to below tropical cyclone intensity on 10 March just prior to crossing the western coast of Cape York Peninsula. Ex-tropical cyclone Gillian passed across the Arafura and Timor Seas and eventually re-intensified into a tropical cyclone over the Indian Ocean
• An unnamed tropical cyclone made landfall near Wadeye (Port Keats) on 3 February

Thunderstorms and strong winds

There were numerous severe thunderstorms across the Territory during 2014, with particularly high levels of thunderstorm activity during January, November and December. Some notable events included:

• Thunderstorms over the western Top End developed into two distinct squall lines on 10 January. One passed through Douglas River; the other extended from Pine Creek to Cooinda and approached Batchelor and then entered the Darwin area. The line of thunderstorms continued across the Beagle Gulf to the Tiwi Islands early on 11 January
• A severe thunderstorm near Uluru on 28 January produced a 104 km/h gust at Yulara
• Heavy rain fell at Gunn Point on 29 January with a daily total of 165 mm to 9am on 30 January. 108 mm fell in one hour to 2:30 am
• A Severe thunderstorm moved over Lajamanu on 30 November and produced a 98 km/h wind gust
• A gusty thunderstorm moved over Territory Grape Farm on 2 December producing a wind gust of 104 km/h
• A 96 km/h wind gust was recorded at Tennant Creek on 3 December along with some brief, but heavy rainfall

Bushfires

• Beginning on 18 August, fires near West Elsey, Lakefield and Gorrie burnt nearly 1300 square kilometres of bushland over the course of ten days
• Scott Creek station had a large fire burn 214 square kilometres in five days beginning on 28 August
• Five large fires burnt in the Northern Territory in September, including an 870 square kilometre blaze near Emungalan Road and the Stewart Highway which began on 6 September
• On 28 October a large bushfire started near Nitmiluk National Park and lasted for one week

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top

Maps
	Observed	Anomaly	Decile rank
Total rainfall
Mean daily maximum temperatures
Mean daily minimum temperatures

Click on a map to show it full size in a pop-up window

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top