Thursday, 9 January 2020 - Monthly Climate Summary for Australian Capital Territory - Product code IDCKGC15L0

Australian Capital Territory in December 2019: exceptionally warm and dry

December 2019 in the ACT was exceptionally warm and dry. It was the warmest December on record at both metropolitan Canberra sites, and one of the driest Decembers on record at all locations.

A very dry month

• It was an exceptionally dry month throughout the ACT with all sites receiving less than 10% of their long-term average
• After light falls on the 2nd and 3rd, most sites received no further rain for the month
• Tuggeranong had its lowest total December rainfall on record
• Several sites had their lowest total December rainfall since 1979

An exceptionally warm month

• Mean maximum temperatures were far above average at all locations
• Mean minimum temperatures were also above average, but by a smaller margin than maximum temperatures
• It was a cold start to December, though. Mount Ginini had a maximum temperature of 0.5 °C on the 2nd, the fourth-lowest on record for December at any New South Wales or ACT site
• Some sites had their highest December temperature on record
• Some sites had their highest December mean daily maximum temperature on record
• Some sites had their highest December mean temperature on record

Canberra Airport

• Total rainfall for Canberra Airport was 1.2 mm, which is 3% of the long-term average of 57.0 mm
• The mean daily maximum temperature for Canberra Airport was 31.7 °C, which is 5.4 °C above the long-term average of 26.3 °C. This is the highest value on record, 2.0 °C above the previous record of 29.7 °C set in 1972. The monthly mean temperature of 22.4 °C was also a record
• The warmest day was 41.1 °C on the 21st, the hottest December day on record at any Canberra site, and the coolest day was on the 2nd when the temperature reached 15.1 °C
• The mean daily minimum temperature for Canberra Airport was 13.1 °C, which is 1.6 °C above the long-term average of 11.5 °C. The coldest morning was 4.6 °C on the 1st, and the warmest morning was on the 31st when the minimum temperature was 19.8 °C

Heatwaves, smoke and a cold outbreak

• There were two major heatwaves during the month, from 18 to 21 December and 26 to 31 December. The six consecutive days of 35 °C or above in the latter period were a December record, surpassing the four consecutive days in December 1994
• In total there were 11 days of 35 °C or above during the month, far above the previous December record of five in December 1972. The only other months with more days of 35 °C or above at Canberra Airport were January 2019 (19) and January 2017 (12)
• While there were no major bushfires in the ACT in December, heavy smoke haze from fires in surrounding areas of New South Wales affected Canberra for large parts of the month. Air quality reached hazardous levels on numerous occasions
• In marked contrast to the heat later in the month, a cold outbreak at the start of the month was unusually strong for December. Snow fell in higher parts of the Brindabellas

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Daily observations Important notes the top

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Daily observations Important notes the top

* 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 Daily observations Important notes the top

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Daily observations Important notes the top

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Daily observations Important notes the top