Thursday, 10 January 2019 - Annual Climate Summary for Northern Territory - Product code IDCKGC52R0

Northern Territory in 2018: Another very warm year, rainfall near average

Temperatures across the Northern Territory in 2018 were significantly above average at nearly all locations. Daytime temperatures were especially warm in all districts. Rainfall in the northern half was generally above average, however, across the NT as a whole, rainfall was close to the long-term average.

The Australian annual climate statement provides a comprehensive summary of Australia's climate during 2018. Information about changes and long-term trends in Australia's climate can be found in State of the Climate 2018.

Very warm daytime temperatures, milder overnight temperatures

• Territory-wide, the mean maximum temperature for 2018 was 1.56 °C above average, the second-highest on record and highest since the record-setting year of 2013
• Daytime temperatures were above average during every month of 2018, with the wet season months (January to April and October to December) seeing the largest warm anomalies. December 2018 was a standout month at 3.28 °C above average, the highest ever mean maximum temperature recorded in the Territory during December
• Some sites in the southern NT, including Yulara, had their highest mean daily maximum temperature on record
• Many sites had their highest temperature on record, including Rabbit Flat in the Tanami District which had the highest temperature recorded in the Territory since 1990 with its maximum temperature of 47.1 °C on both 12 and 19 December. Alice Springs Airport recorded its highest temperature on record with 45.6 °C on 29 December
• Across the NT in 2018, the mean minimum temperature was 0.65 °C above average: much of the eastern half saw above average overnight temperatures, while much of the southwest and southern Top End saw average to below average temperatures
• Overnight temperatures were warmer than average during all wet season months, but the mean minimum temperature across the NT for the dry season (May to September) was about half a degree below average, thus moderating the annual anomaly for 2018
• Several sites in the NT had their warmest night (highest daily minimum temperature) on record:
• Walungurru Airport, in the central west, recorded the highest ever daily minimum temperature in the Northern Territory with 33.8 °C on 30 December
• Darwin Airport recorded a minimum of 30.0 °C, for the first time ever, on 12 December
• The Territory-wide mean temperature (combined maximum and minimum) was 1.11 °C, above average, the fifth-highest observed since records commenced in 1910
• Rabbit Flat broke several annual records during 2018, including a run of 30 consecutive days over 40 °C days starting on 2 December (ending 4 January 2019, for a total of 33 consecutive days), exceeding the previous record of 22 consecutive such days set in 2008 (for details of other exceptional heat statistics recorded during December, see the December summary)

Wet in the north, dry in the south

• South of about Elliott, most locations had below-average rainfall for the 12-month period; several sites had their lowest total rainfall in the last 25 years
• The dry season (May to September) in 2018 was the seventh-driest on record, with the NT-wide averaged total only 10% of normal for the 5-month period
• Many locations had record long consecutive days with nil rainfall: from Howard Springs in the greater Darwin region with 179 consecutive rain-free days between 21 April and 16 October, to Trephina Gorge, in the Alice Springs region, with 211 days between 12 March and 8 October. Alice Springs Airport had 161 consecutive rain-free days between 14 April and 21 September, exceeding its previous record of 157 days
• Parts of the Top End, mainly around the northwest, northern Arnhem and Carpentaria districts had well above average rainfall during 2018
• Averaged across the entire Northern Territory, the annual rainfall total was about 7% below average

Darwin Airport

• Total rainfall for Darwin Airport was 1921.4 mm, which is 111% of the long-term average of 1725.1 mm
• The mean daily maximum temperature for Darwin Airport was 32.8 °C, which is 0.7 °C above the long-term average of 32.1 °C. The warmest day was 37.3 °C on 1 November, and the coolest day was on 27 January when the temperature reached 27.2 °C
• The mean daily minimum temperature for Darwin Airport was 23.5 °C, which is 0.3 °C above the long-term average of 23.2 °C. The coldest morning was 15.3 °C on 23 July, and the warmest morning was on 12 December when the minimum temperature was 30.0 °C

Alice Springs Airport

• Total rainfall for Alice Springs Airport was 167.8 mm, which is 60% of the long-term average of 279.7 mm
• The mean daily maximum temperature for Alice Springs Airport was 30.8 °C, which is 2.0 °C above the long-term average of 28.8 °C. The warmest day was 45.6 °C on 29 December, and the coolest day was on 18 June when the temperature reached 16.1 °C
• The mean daily minimum temperature for Alice Springs Airport was 13.4 °C, which is 0.2 °C above the long-term average of 13.2 °C. The coldest morning was -3.8 °C on 13 July, and the warmest morning was on 28 January when the minimum temperature was 29.2 °C

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

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Monthly maps
	Rainfall rank	Maximum temperature rank	Minimum temperature rank
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December

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* note: there are gaps in the historical record at this site, so it is possible a lower value has gone unreported

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top