Friday, 1 November 2013 - Monthly Climate Summary for Canberra - Product code IDCKGC15R0

Canberra in October 2013: Warm days, cold nights

• Coldest October night on record, significant frost damage
• Well above average maximum temperatures
• Below average rainfall

Extremes Records Summaries Important notes the top

Rainfall - Below average rain

Canberra Airport recorded 13.4 mm of rain during October, less than a quarter of the historical average (62.4 mm) and the driest October since 2006; this is the sixth-driest October on record for Canberra. There were only four rain days during the month (average 10 days); most of the rain fell associated with a trough and storms on the 22nd-23rd, with 10.8 mm at the airport and 23.4 mm at Mt Ginini.

Temperature - Warm days, cold nights

Canberra Airport recorded an average maximum temperature of 21.9 °C, 2.5 °C above the historical average and the equal-seventh-warmest October on record. There were 22 days with temperatures above 20 °C (average 13 days), while no days dropped below 15 °C (average 4 days). Temperatures reached 32.1 °C on the 21st, the equal-second-warmest October day on record for Canberra.

In contrast, the average minimum temperature was 3.8 °C, 2.3 °C below the historical average and the second-coldest October on record, following October 2012 (3.4 °C). There were five nights with temperatures of 0 °C or lower, the equal-highest on record (average 1 night). Three of these nights dropped below -2 °C, including the coldest October night on record with -3.4 °C on the 18th; no previous October has recorded more than one night so cold. The combination of earlier unseasonable warmth and accelerated growth with the October frosts resulted in severe damage to vineyards in the ACT.

Extremes Records Summaries Important notes the top

Extremes Records Summaries Important notes the top