Wednesday, 4 January 2012 - Annual Climate Summary for Tasmania - Product code IDCKGC37R0
Tasmania in 2011: very wet in the northeast
- Several flooding events in the northeast, with record rainfall in some areas
- Only a few hot days
- Some very cold nights
- Slightly above average temperatures overall
- Wild wind, waves and snow in June and July
- Volcanic ash causes chaos in June
Record-breaking rain and flooding in the northeast
The northeast of the state experienced record-breaking heavy rain and flooding events in January, March and April, with two events in August. Despite all this wet weather, May, July, September and October were drier than usual in the northeast.
Totals for the whole year were above average in the north and east, but below average in the west. Nonetheless, Lake Margaret Power Station's 2681 mm was the wettest confirmed overall (the rain gauge on Mount Read registered 3443 mm but was affected by snow on some days and the full total there is not known).
Only a few hot days
There were only a few especially hot days during the year, with the warmest being only 35 °C at Fingal and Flinders Island Airport on 1 February (in 2010 the state's hottest temperature was 40.7 °C, in 2009 it was 42.2 °C) . There were several very cold days, notably in May, June and July.
Overall, mean daily maximum temperatures were within half a degree of average, and cooler than in 2010.
Some very cold nights
Very cold nights occurred in May, June, July and October. The coldest was -11.2 °C at Liawenee on 23 July (its lowest temperature on record). Against this, August had some especially mild nights, and several sites across the state had their warmest August mean minimum temperatures on record.
Overall, mean daily minimum temperatures were above average across the state, by about half a degree.
Wild winds, huge waves, snow … and volcanic ash
There was plenty of extreme weather in Tasmania through 2011, quite apart from the big rain events. June started with a week of wild weather, but perhaps the most spectacular came in July as two vigorous cold fronts delivered snow down to 150 m, along with damaging winds and huge waves.
Flights in and out of the state were grounded as volcanic ash from the Cordón Caulle volcano in Chile moved across the state from 12 June and (having gone all the way around the globe) again from 22 June.
Hobart
Despite the lack of especially hot days, there was more mild weather than cool in Hobart during 2011. Temperature records were broken in August when Hobart experienced its warmest August nights on record, and in November when Hobart had its warmest November days since 1982.
Hobart's total rainfall of 691 mm was above average, and driven especially by an exceptionally wet April.
Further information
Ian Barnes-Keoghan or Lorien MartinClimatologists
Tasmania and Antarctica Climate Services Centre
Bureau of Meteorology
Phone (03) 6221 2043
Email climate.tas@bom.gov.au
| Extremes in 2011 | |
|---|---|
| Hottest day | 35.0 °C at Fingal (Legge Street)
and Flinders
Island Airport on 1 Feb |
| Warmest days on average | 18.6 °C at Launceston (Ti Tree Bend) |
| Coolest days on average | 8.2 °C at Mount Wellington |
| Coldest day | -2.9 °C at Mount Wellington on
10 Jul |
| Coldest night | -11.2 °C at Liawenee on 23 Jul |
| Coolest nights on average | 1.7 °C at Liawenee and Mount Wellington |
| Warmest nights on average | 11.8 °C at Hogan Island |
| Warmest night | 20.8 °C at Flinders Island Airport
on 14 Jan |
| Warmest on average overall | 14.4 °C at Hogan Island |
| Coolest on average overall | 5.0 °C at Mount Wellington |
| Wettest overall | 2681.0 mm at Lake Margaret Power Station |
| Driest overall | 536.6 mm at Tunbridge (Austin-Vale) and Ouse Fire Station |
| Wettest day | 327.2 mm at Gray (Dalmayne Rd)
on 24 Mar |
| Highest wind gust | 178 km/h at Mount Wellington on
10 Jul |
Extremes Records Summaries Important notes the top
| Maps | |||
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| Observed | Anomaly | Decile rank | |
| Total rainfall |
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| Mean daily maximum temperatures |
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| Mean daily minimum temperatures |
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Click on a map to show it full size in a pop-up window
| Month by month | ||
|---|---|---|
| January brought record-breaking rain to northern Tasmania between the 12th and 14th. Falmouth's 282 mm was the wettest January day on record for the state, and Yolla exceeded its previous January daily rainfall record on the 13th and again on the 14th. Flash flooding caused damage in the north and northeast, and there was major flooding in the Mersey and Meander Rivers. | ||
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| Rainfall rank | Maximum temperature rank | Minimum temperature rank |
| February was wetter and cooler than usual as a succession of cold fronts and troughs crossed the state. The cold fronts prevented the build up of heat that often occurs at that time of the year, with the temperature only exceeding 30 °C on a few days. | ||
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| March featured record heavy rain and record cold temperatures. A complex low brought 327 mm to Gray in 24 hours (Tasmania's third-wettest day on record), leading to major flooding in the South Esk river basin with peak heights only slightly lower than those of April 1929. Several places had their lowest March temperature on record, and Mount Wellington did not get above zero on the 4th. | ||
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| April saw yet more heavy rain in the east, with very heavy falls between the 10th and the 13th. Eddystone Point had 153 mm in a day and 57 mm in an hour, and Hobart's 78.8 mm was the wettest day there in over 50 years. | ||
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| May was the first month of the year without heavy rainfall. Cold fronts repeatedly brought cool conditions, including Launceston's coldest May day on record on the 12th, and many cold and frosty nights. Huge swells affected the west and south coasts, particularly on the 14th and the 17th. | ||
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| June started with a week of strong winds, large waves, heavy rain, flooding and significant snowfalls. Temperatures varied widely through the month: the warmest day was 19.1 °C at Swansea but the coldest night was -8.7 °C at Liawenee. Flights were disrupted as volcanic ash from the Cordón Caulle volcano in Chile moved across the state from the 12th and again from the 22nd. | ||
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| July was mostly cool, with two vigorous cold fronts producing record waves, damaging winds and snow down to 150 m on the 9th and 10th. The waverider buoy off Cape Sorell reached 18.68 metres on 11 July, the highest wave ever recorded at the current location. Liawenee recorded it lowest temperature, and Tasmania's second-coldest July temperature with -11.2 °C on the 23rd. In contrast, several sites had their warmest July night on record on the 29th. | ||
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| August was a very warm month, especially by night. Many sites, including Hobart and Launceston recorded their highest August mean daily minimum temperature. The month also saw major flooding in the northeast of Tasmania, with the region experiencing its fourth significant flooding event for the year from the 7th to the 10th, and then its fifth significant event from the 16th to the 20th. | ||
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| September rainfall was below average across the north and east of Tasmania. There were more mild days than cold, and Devonport Airport's 20.0 °C was its highest September temperature on record. | ||
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| October was more often cool than warm, and had some very cold nights: Liawenee dropped below -5 °C four times and several areas dipped below zero on the morning of the 25th. There were fewer than usual rain-bearing systems crossing the state, meaning a below-average month in most areas. | ||
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| November had plenty of rain in the north and west, including a record 111 mm in a day at Eddystone Point and record November totals at Launceston and Strahan. Temperatures were above normal, especially in the south and east. | ||
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| December was warmer than average overall, following many warm days and nights in the latter half of the month. Rainfall was below average, except in the east, southeast and southern Midlands where thunderstorms helped deliver close to average rainfall. | ||
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| Rainfall rank | Maximum temperature rank | Minimum temperature rank |
| Record highest daily rainfall | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Highest daily rainfall in 2011 (mm) |
Previous annual wettest |
Years of record |
||||
| Longford (Denton Close) | 70.0 | on 24 Mar | 67.3 | on 16 Jul 1951 | 109 | |
| Seven Mile Beach (Royal Hobart Golf Club | 78.2 | on 13 Apr | 69.3 | on 20 Oct 1973 | 51 | |
| Pyengana (Forest Lodge Road) | 200.0 | on 24 Mar | 197.0 | on 29 Jan 2004 | 50 | |
| Taroona (Taroona Crescent) | 97.2 | on 13 Apr | 86.0 | on 23 Mar 1983 | 50 | |
| Tomahawk (Carisbrooke) | 123.2 | on 13 Jan | 94.8 | on 23 Dec 1993 | 47 | |
| Scamander | 265.0 | on 13 Jan | 199.0 | on 27 Apr 1974 | 29 | |
| Loongana (Serendipity) | 130.6 | on 14 Jan | 122.0 | on 2 Apr 1989 | 28 | |
| Three Hummock Island | 112.4 | on 23 Mar | 75.2 | on 19 Feb 1946 | 23 | |
| Judbury (Huon River) | 46.6 | on 13 Apr | 44.2 | on 12 Oct 2001 | 20 | |
| Llewellyn (South Esk River) | 69.8 | on 9 Jun | 57.2 | on 31 Aug 2005 | 20 | |
| Record highest total annual rainfall | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Total rainfall for 2011 (mm) |
Previous annual wettest |
Years of record |
Annual average |
||
| Gladstone (Old Post Office) | 1394.6 | 1182.4 | in 1974 | 72 | 845.0 |
| Pyengana (Forest Lodge Road) | 1886.8 | 1767.0 | in 1974 | 41 | 1253.1 |
| Scamander | 1373.0 | 898.3 | in 1978 | 24 | 666.0 |
| Highest total annual rainfall for at least 20 years | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Total rainfall for 2011 (mm) |
Most recent annual at least this wet |
Years since wetter |
Annual average |
||
| Pioneer (Main Road) | 1360.7 | 1395.8 | in 1970 | 40 | 961.3 |
| Eddystone Point | 1063.2 | 1084.4 | in 1970 | 36 | 764.2 |
| Fingal (Legge Street) | 902.6 | 957.0 | in 1974 | 36 | 607.1 |
| Avoca (Railway House) | 712.3 | 788.2 | in 1975 | 34 | 551.4 |
| Lewis Hill (St Pauls River) | 869.0 | 921.8 | in 1974 | 34 | 630.3 |
| Bicheno (Council Depot) | 909.2 | 982.1 | in 1971 | 27 | 680.5 |
| Lady Barron (Franklin Parade) | 937.8 | 977.5 | in 1971 | 27 | 754.1 |
| Tooms Lake (Tooms River) | 899.0 | 1145.0 | in 1970 | 24 | 583.6 |
| Devonport Airport | 874.8 | 971.0 | in 1989 | 20 | 768.0 |
Extremes Records Summaries Important notes the top
| Summary statistics for 2011 | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maximum temperatures (°C) |
Minimum temperatures (°C) |
Rainfall (millimetres) |
||||||||||
| Mean for 2011 |
Diff from average |
Highest for 2011 |
Mean for 2011 |
Diff from average |
Lowest for 2011 |
Total for 2011 |
Average annual total |
Rank of 2011 |
Fraction of annual average |
|||
| Northern (district 91) | ||||||||||||
| Bridport (Sea View Villas) | 17.2 | -0.2 | 25.5 | 7 Jan | 1.1 | 6 Jun | 891.3 | 740.3 | high | 120% | ||
| Burnie (Round Hill) | 17.4 | +0.5 | 30.6 | 30 Jan | 9.8 | +0.5 | 1.3 | 13 Jun | 1007.9 | 956.4 | average | 105% |
| Cape Grim | 15.3 | 23.6 | 1 Feb | 10.6 | 2.8 | 15 Jun | 937.0 | |||||
| Cape Grim BAPS (Comparison) | 15.6 | 0.0 | 23.8 | 8 Jan | 10.5 | -0.1 | 3.3 | 15 Jun | ||||
| Cressy Research Station | 17.7 | -0.5 | 31.5 | 1 Feb | 6.0 | +0.4 | -5.3 | 28 May | 708.4 | |||
| Devonport Airport | 17.0 | +0.2 | 28.3 | 30 Jan | 8.5 | +0.3 | -1.7 | 27 Jul | 875.2 | 770.2 | high | 114% |
| Launceston (Ti Tree Bend) | 18.6 | +0.1 | 30.3 | 7 Jan | 7.7 | +0.4 | -2.6 | 15 Jul | 758.5 | 676.4 | high | 112% |
| Launceston Airport | 17.7 | 31.0 | 1 Feb | 6.4 | -3.8 | 29 May | 710.0 | |||||
| Low Head | 16.5 | -0.1 | 24.1 | 1 Feb | 10.6 | +0.1 | 1.0 | 27 Jul | 891.2 | 671.2 | v high | 133% |
| Luncheon Hill (Forestry) | 15.5 | 0.0 | 27.3 | 7 Jan | 7.5 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 21 Jul | 1439.6 | 1517.1 | low | 95% |
| Marrawah | 16.1 | 0.0 | 25.0 | 1 Feb | 9.6 | +0.3 | 1.5 | 15 Jun | 995.2 | 1066.9 | average | 93% |
| Scottsdale (West Minstone Road) | 16.8 | -0.5 | 31.8 | 1 Feb | 7.3 | +0.2 | -2.1 | 14 Jul | 994.2 | 986.1 | average | 101% |
| Sheffield School Farm | 15.8 | -0.3 | 28.9 | 30 Jan | 6.7 | -0.1 | -1.8 | 11 Aug | ||||
| Smithton Aerodrome | 17.0 | -0.2 | 27.2 | 1 Feb | 7.8 | +0.1 | -2.9 | 10 May | ||||
| Wynyard Airport | 17.3 | +0.4 | 30.8 | 30 Jan | 7.3 | +0.3 | -2.5 | 14 Jul | 1119.8 | 982.1 | high | 114% |
| East Coast (district 92) | ||||||||||||
| Bicheno (Council Depot) | 17.7 | -0.1 | 30.7 | 15 Jan | 9.7 | +0.3 | 0.7 | 6 Jul | 922.2 | 683.7 | high | 135% |
| Eddystone Point | 31.9 | 1 Feb | 10.5 | +0.1 | 1.2 | 14 Jul | ||||||
| Fingal (Legge Street) | 17.6 | -0.2 | 35.0 | 1 Feb | 5.5 | +0.2 | -5.4 | 27 Jul | 913.6 | 609.5 | v high | 150% |
| Friendly Beaches | 18.1 | -0.2 | 31.3 | 15 Jan | 9.3 | -0.1 | -0.6 | 16 Jul | 855.0 | |||
| Lake Leake (Elizabeth River) | 13.7 | -0.2 | 28.4 | 8 Jan | 4.3 | +0.3 | -6.3 | 16 Jul | 933.6 | 831.4 | high | 112% |
| Maria Island (Point Lesueur) | 16.4 | 29.4 | 15 Jan | 10.3 | 3.5 | 11 Jul | 569.6 | |||||
| Orford (Aubin Court) | 17.0 | -0.6 | 29.6 | 15 Jan | 7.6 | -0.2 | -2.8 | 16 Jul | 766.1 | 674.9 | average | 114% |
| Scamander | 17.8 | -0.2 | 33.7 | 1 Feb | 9.1 | +0.3 | -1.2 | 6 Jul | 1380.0 | 694.6 | highest | 199% |
| St Helens Aerodrome | 17.8 | -0.1 | 32.4 | 1 Feb | 8.9 | 0.0 | -0.1 | 15 Jul | ||||
| Swan Island | 16.9 | 25.8 | 1 Feb | 11.5 | 4.0 | 15 Jul | 939.4 | |||||
| Midlands (district 93) | ||||||||||||
| Ross (The Boulevards) | 17.4 | -0.2 | 30.7 | 30 Jan | 5.7 | +0.1 | -6.5 | 27 Jul | 560.2 | 494.5 | average | 113% |
| Southeast (district 94) | ||||||||||||
| Campania (Kincora) | 18.3 | -0.3 | 34.7 | 8 Jan | 7.3 | +0.1 | -2.2 | 25 Jul | ||||
| Cape Bruny (Cape Bruny) | 15.7 | -0.2 | 31.2 | 7 Jan | 9.1 | -0.2 | 2.2 | 23 Jul | 795.8 | 771.3 | average | 103% |
| Dover | 16.3 | -0.1 | 31.7 | 8 Jan | 6.9 | +0.1 | -1.8 | 25 Jul | 927.0 | 879.4 | average | 105% |
| Geeveston (Cemetery Road) | 16.7 | -0.2 | 32.0 | 7 Jan | 6.8 | +0.7 | -2.9 | 24 Jul | 1049.8 | 882.2 | high | 119% |
| Grove (Research Station) | 17.2 | 32.2 | 7 Jan | 5.7 | -4.7 | 27 Jul | 873.8 | |||||
| Hobart (Ellerslie Road) | 17.5 | +0.6 | 33.6 | 8 Jan | 9.1 | +0.8 | 0.6 | 25 Jul | 690.6 | 616.8 | high | 112% |
| Hobart Airport | 17.6 | +0.1 | 34.4 | 8 Jan | 8.7 | +0.6 | -1.1 | 15 Jul | 597.0 | 497.7 | high | 120% |
| Maatsuyker Island Lighthouse | 13.8 | -0.1 | 26.5 | 6 Nov | 9.2 | +0.6 | 1.3 | 11 Jul | 1076.7 | 1229.7 | average | 88% |
| Melton Mowbray (North Stockman) | 17.0 | -0.4 | 33.8 | 8 Jan | 6.1 | +0.1 | -5.1 | 16 Jun | 544.2 | 450.3 | high | 121% |
| Mount Wellington | 8.2 | +0.5 | 23.1 | 8 Jan | 1.7 | +0.4 | -6.0 | 7 Jul | ||||
| Tasman Island | 13.9 | 27.1 | 6 Nov | 8.8 | 1.4 | 7 Jul | 953.0 | |||||
| Tunnack Fire Station | 14.7 | -0.6 | 28.6 | 8 Jan | 5.2 | +0.1 | -5.6 | 24 Jul | 954.0 | 649.9 | high | 147% |
| Derwent Valley (district 95) | ||||||||||||
| Bushy Park (Bushy Park Estates) | 18.3 | +0.6 | 32.5 | 7 Jan | 6.0 | +0.1 | -4.9 | 25 Jul | ||||
| Maydena Post Office | 15.7 | -0.4 | 29.8 | 7 Jan | 5.6 | +0.3 | -3.5 | 24 Jul | 1217.9 | 1175.5 | average | 104% |
| Ouse Fire Station | 18.1 | -0.3 | 32.1 | 7 Jan | 5.8 | +0.4 | -5.0 | 23 Jul | 536.6 | 513.4 | average | 105% |
| Central Plateau (district 96) | ||||||||||||
| Butlers Gorge | 13.3 | +0.5 | 27.7 | 7 Jan | 3.4 | +0.5 | -6.3 | 16 Jul | 1684.8 | 1681.9 | average | 100% |
| Lake St Clair National Park | 13.2 | +0.1 | 26.6 | 8 Jan | 3.1 | +0.3 | -5.9 | 15 Jun | 1902.0 | 1876.5 | average | 101% |
| Liawenee | 12.0 | 0.0 | 25.3 | 31 Dec | 1.7 | +0.2 | -11.2 | 23 Jul | ||||
| West Coast (district 97) | ||||||||||||
| Hartz Mountain (Keoghs Pimple) | 11.1 | -0.4 | 25.9 | 7 Jan | 4.0 | 0.0 | -3.2 | 7 Jul | ||||
| Mount Read | 8.7 | 0.0 | 21.1 | 14 Feb | 2.8 | +0.1 | -3.7 | 6 Jul | ||||
| Scotts Peak Dam | 14.9 | +0.1 | 31.2 | 7 Jan | 6.3 | +0.2 | -2.3 | 24 Jul | ||||
| Strahan Aerodrome | 16.6 | +0.2 | 30.6 | 6 Nov | 8.2 | +0.4 | -2.1 | 24 Jul | 1516.4 | 1526.4 | average | 99% |
| Warra | 13.5 | 28.4 | 6 Nov | -3.0 | 23 Jul | |||||||
| King Island (district 98) | ||||||||||||
| King Island Airport | 16.9 | 0.0 | 31.6 | 7 Jan | 10.2 | +0.4 | 1.9 | 15 Jun | 943.0 | 866.4 | high | 109% |
| Flinders Island (district 99) | ||||||||||||
| Flinders Island Airport | 17.9 | +0.2 | 35.0 | 1 Feb | 10.1 | +0.3 | -1.5 | 15 Jul | ||||
| Hogan Island | 16.9 | 31.2 | 1 Feb | 11.8 | 4.9 | 8 Jun | 944.2 | |||||
| Antarctica and Macquarie Island (district 300) | ||||||||||||
| Macquarie Island | 6.7 | +0.2 | 12.0 | 19 Dec | 3.1 | +0.1 | -6.5 | 24 Jul | 1024.5 | 970.0 | average | 106% |
Missing values in the table above are because observations from that site are not complete in every month of 2011. Missing climatological values are because the site does not have sufficient length of record for statistics to be reliably computed.
Extremes Records Summaries Important notes the top
Notes
The Annual Climate Summary is prepared to list the main features of the weather in Tasmania using the most timely and accurate information available on the date of publication; it will generally not be updated. Later information, including data that has had greater opportunity for quality control, will be presented in the Monthly Weather Review, usually published in the fourth week of the month.
This statement has been prepared based on information available at 10am on Wednesday 4 January 2012. Some checks have been made on the data, but it is possible that results will change as new information becomes available.
Averages are long-term means based on observations
from all available years of record, which vary widely from site to
site.
They are not shown for sites with less than 10 years of record, as they
cannot then be calculated reliably.
The median
is sometimes more representative than the
mean
of long-term average rain.
The Rank indicates how rainfall this time compares
with the climate record for the site,
based on the decile
ranking (very low rainfall is in decile 1,
low in decile 2 or 3,
average in decile 4 to 7, high
in decile 8 or 9 and very high is in decile 10).
The Fraction of average shows how much rain has
fallen this time as a
percentage
of the long-term mean.
Further information
Ian Barnes-Keoghan or Lorien MartinClimatologists
Tasmania and Antarctica Climate Services Centre
Bureau of Meteorology
Phone (03) 6221 2043
Email climate.tas@bom.gov.au
