Tuesday, 1 July 2008 - Monthly Climate Summary for Canberra_AWS - Product code IDCKGC1xx0
Canberra in June 2008
Warmest start to winter since 1957
Summary
- 2nd warmest June on record for average maximum temperatures
- 3rd warmest June on record for average minimum temperatures
- Slightly below average rainfall
Jump to: Extremes Maps Summaries Notes the top
Rainfall
Persistent high pressure systems to the south and southeast of the continent brought fine weather and little rainfall to the ACT region during June. Canberra Airport recorded a total rainfall of 21.2 mm, which is below the historical average of 40.8 mm. This is the driest June since 2004 (when 11.6 mm was recorded), and the 4th consecutive month with below average rainfall. There were 7 rain days during the month, compared to the historic average of 8 rain days.
Rain bearing systems that brought light rainfall to the region during June included a low pressure system off the Queensland coast around the 4th, and an upper level trough around the 10th and the 20th. Monthly totals for the ACT ranged from a high of 55.2 mm at Mount Ginini AWS to a low of 15.0 mm at Watson (Racecourse) in Canberra's northern suburbs.
See a map of total rainfall. See a map of rainfall deciles.
![total rainfall](javascript:ShowMap("ftp://ftp.bom.gov.au/anon/home/ncc/www/rainfall/totals/month/colour/history/ns/2008060120080630.gif")){kind=link}
![rainfall deciles](javascript:ShowMap("ftp://ftp.bom.gov.au/anon/home/ncc/www/rainfall/decile/month/colour/history/ns/2008060120080630.gif")){kind=link}
Temperatures
Stable weather conditions and a lack of strong cold fronts meant that very mild days prevailed in Canberra during June. The mean maximum (daytime) temperature at Canberra Airport was 14.5°C, which is 2.3°C above the historical average1 of 12.2°C. This is the 2nd warmest June on record for mean maximum temperatures (current record is 15.8°C set in June 1957).
Very mild nights also prevailed in Canberra during June, particularly during the first half of the month, when moist easterly flow and associated cloud cover affected the region. The mean minimum (overnight) temperature at Canberra Airport was 4.4°C, which is 3.7°C above the historical average of 0.7°C. This is the 3rd warmest June on record at Canberra Airport for mean minimum temperatures (current record is 5.4°C set in June 1991).
With both maximum and minimum temperatures well above average at Canberra Airport during the month, the mean temperature (average of the maximum and minimum) of 9.5°C was the 2nd highest on record for June (current record is 9.8°C set in June 1991). This is 3.1°C above the historical average of 6.4°C.
See a map of mean maximum temperatures. See a map of maximum temperature anomalies.
![mean maximum temperatures](javascript:ShowMap("ftp://ftp.bom.gov.au/anon/home/ncc/www/temperature/maxave/month/colour/history/ns/2008060120080630.gif")){kind=link}
![maximum temperature anomalies](javascript:ShowMap("ftp://ftp.bom.gov.au/anon/home/ncc/www/temperature/maxanom/month/colour/history/ns/2008060120080630.gif")){kind=link}
See a map of mean minimum temperatures. See a map of minimum temperature anomalies.
![mean minimum temperatures](javascript:ShowMap("ftp://ftp.bom.gov.au/anon/home/ncc/www/temperature/minave/month/colour/history/ns/2008060120080630.gif")){kind=link}
![minimum temperature anomalies](javascript:ShowMap("ftp://ftp.bom.gov.au/anon/home/ncc/www/temperature/minanom/month/colour/history/ns/2008060120080630.gif")){kind=link}
Wind
The prevailing wind direction over Canberra Airport during the afternoons was N to NW for about 43% of the time. This is about the normal frequency expected from this direction at Canberra Airport during June. The highest wind gust recorded was 70 km/hr at Canberra Airport on the 30th, associated with the passage of a cold front.
Other phenomena
With very mild days and nights during June, Canberra Airport recorded only 9 frosts for the month, well below the historical average of 18 frosts. This is the lowest number of frosts for June since 1991 and the 3rd lowest on record. The frequency of fogs was also well below average with only 3 fogs reported at the Airport compared to the normal frequency of around 8 fogs. The amount of sunshine averaged 5.2 hours per day which is normal for June. No thunderstorm or hail activity occurred in the Canberra region during the month.
Further information
NSW Climate Services CentreBureau of Meteorology
Phone (02) 9296 1555
Email reqnsw@bom.gov.au
Extremes for the ACT
| Hottest day Highest temperature | 16.9 °C at Canberra Airport on the 16th |
|---|---|
| Warmest days on average Highest mean daily maximum temperature |
14.5 °C at Canberra Airport and at Tuggeranong AWS |
| Coolest days on average Lowest mean daily maximum temperature |
5.3 °C at Mount Ginini AWS (elev 1760 metres) |
| Coldest day Lowest daily maximum temperature |
0.0 °C at Mount Ginini AWS on the 13th and 26th |
| Coldest night Lowest temperature | -5.3 °C at Mount Ginini AWS on the 14th |
| Coolest nights on average Lowest mean daily minimum temperature | 0.1 °C at Mount Ginini AWS |
| Warmest nights on average Highest mean daily minimum temperature | 4.4 °C at Canberra Airport |
| Warmest night Highest daily minimum temperature |
10.6 °C at Canberra Airport and at Tuggeranong AWS on the 4th |
| Wettest overall Highest total rainfall | 55.2 mm at Mount Ginini AWS |
| Driest overall Lowest total rainfall |
15.0 mm at Watson (Racecourse) |
| Wettest day Highest daily rainfall | 18.0 mm at Mount Ginini AWS on the 4th |
| Highest wind gust | 70 km/h at Canberra Airport on the 30th |
Jump to: Extremes Maps Summaries Notes the top
Summaries for the ACT
This table is very wide and may not fit if printed.
| Summary statistics for June 2008 | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maximum temperatures for June (°C) |
Minimum temperatures for June (°C) |
Rainfall for June (millimetres) |
||||||||||
| Mean for June 2008 |
Diff from normal |
Highest for June 2008 |
Mean for June 2008 |
Diff from normal |
Lowest for June 2008 |
Total for June 2008 |
Normal for June |
Rank of June 2008 |
Fraction of June normal |
|||
Canberra Airport |
14.5 | +2.3 | 16.9 | 16th | 4.4 | +3.7 | -1.5 | 28th | 21.2 | 40.8 | low | 52% |
Mount Ginini AWS* |
5.3 | 10.7 | 17th | 0.1 | -5.3 | 14th | 55.2 | |||||
Tuggeranong** |
14.5 | +1.6 | 16.7 | 6th | 3.3 | +2.4 | -1.8 | 24th | 29.4 | 52.0 | low | 56% |
* new station, no historic averages available
** short record, 1996 - 2007 only
Jump to: Extremes Maps Summaries Notes the top
Notes
This statement has been prepared based on information available at 9 am on Tuesday 1 July 2008. Some checks have been made on the data, but it is possible that results will change as new information becomes available.
A note about deciles: Deciles are used to give an element (in this case rainfall or temperature) a ranking. Deciles are calculated by arranging the totals in ascending order (from lowest to highest) then splitting them into 10 equal groups (thus the groups are called deciles). The first group would be in decile range one, the second group in decile range two, etc up to the highest annual totals (highest 10 per cent) being in decile range 10.
1Averages: Averages are based on the period 1961 to 1990 which is a convention of the World Meteorological Organisation
Normals are long-term averages 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 20 years of record for temperature and less than 30 years of record for rainfall, as they cannot then be calculated reliably.
Further information
NSW Climate Services CentreBureau of Meteorology
Phone (02) 9296 1555
Email reqnsw@bom.gov.au