Thursday, 1 October 2020 - Monthly Climate Summary for Australian Capital Territory - Product code IDCKGC15L0

Australian Capital Territory in September 2020: a warm, dry start and cool, wet finish

September had a warm, dry start and a cool, wet finish. Rainfall for the month was near average, while maximum and minimum temperatures were near to or above average.

Near average rainfall after a dry start

  • Rainfall in the ACT for September was generally near average, after a dry start when only light falls occurred up until the 19th.
  • Most of the month's rain fell in the week from the 20th to the 26th, with particularly heavy falls in the Brindabellas, much of which fell as snow at higher elevations.

Warm nights, days near to above average

Canberra Airport

  • Total rainfall for Canberra Airport was 40.4 mm, which is 78% of the long-term average of 52.0 mm.
  • The mean daily maximum temperature for Canberra Airport was 17.6 °C, which is 1.2 °C above the long-term average of 16.4 °C, but cooler than the last three years.
  • The warmest day was 23.8 °C on the 21st, and the coolest day was on the 26th when the temperature reached 10.5 °C.
  • The mean daily minimum temperature for Canberra Airport was 4.7 °C, which is 1.5 °C above the long-term average of 3.2 °C and the sixth-warmest on record.
  • The coldest morning was -1.3 °C on the 28th, and the warmest morning was on the 20th when the minimum temperature was 13.1 °C.

A cold outbreak late in the month

  • A significant cold outbreak affected the ACT on the 25th and 26th, with snow in the Brindabellas.
  • Canberra Airport's 3pm temperature of 5.7 °C on the 25th was the lowest in September since 1992
  • On the 9th, the difference between the maximum (11.8 °C) and minimum (11.7 °C) temperatures at Canberra Airport was only 0.1 °C, the second-lowest diurnal range on record after a value of zero on 25 February 2018
  • Canberra Airport has had a total of 521.8 mm rainfall for the year-to-date, 21% above the long-term average and already above the full-year totals for 2017, 2018 and 2019.
  • Maximum temperatures for the year-to-date at Canberra Airport are 0.5 °C above average, and minimum temperatures 1.0 °C above average. 2012 was the most recent year in which maximum temperatures were not at least 1 °C above average.

Further information

Media
(03) 9669 4057

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Daily observations Important notes the top

Extremes in September 2020
Hottest day 23.8 °C at Canberra Airport on the 21st
Warmest days on average 17.6 °C at Canberra Airport
17.6 °C at Tuggeranong (Isabella Plains) AWS
Coolest days on average 8.4 °C at Mount Ginini AWS
Coldest day -1.3 °C at Mount Ginini AWS on the 26th
Coldest night -6.9 °C at Mount Ginini AWS on the 26th
Coolest nights on average 1.2 °C at Mount Ginini AWS
Warmest nights on average 5.0 °C at Tuggeranong (Isabella Plains) AWS
Warmest night 13.1 °C at Canberra Airport on the 20th
Warmest on average overall 11.3 °C at Tuggeranong (Isabella Plains) AWS
Coolest on average overall 4.8 °C at Mount Ginini AWS
Wettest overall 101.6 mm at Mount Ginini AWS
Driest overall 33.6 mm at Tuggeranong (Isabella Plains) AWS
Wettest day 26.2 mm at Mount Ginini AWS on the 26th
Strongest wind gust 74 km/h at Tuggeranong (Isabella Plains) AWS on the 21st

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Daily observations Important notes the top

Highest September mean daily minimum temperature for at least 20 years
Observed
(°C)		 Most recent
higher		 Average for
September
Tuggeranong (Isabella Plains) AWS 5.0 5.5 in 1998 3.7


Extremes Maps Records Summaries Daily observations Important notes the top

Summary statistics for September 2020
Maximum temperatures
(°C)		 Minimum temperatures
(°C)		 Rainfall
(millimetres)
Mean for
September
2020		 Diff
from
average		 Highest for
September
2020		 Mean for
September
2020		 Diff
from
average		 Lowest for
September
2020		 Total for
September
2020		 Average
for
September		 Rank of
September
2020		 Fraction of
September
average
Canberra Airport 17.6 +1.2 23.8 21st 4.7 +1.5 -1.3 28th 40.4 52.0 average 78%
Mount Ginini AWS 8.4 -0.2 15.9 17th 1.2 +1.0 -6.9 26th 101.6 86.1 average 118%
Tuggeranong (Isabella Plains) AWS 17.6 -0.1 23.7 17th 5.0 +1.3 -1.6 28th 33.6 57.3 average 59%
Note: Observations for “Canberra Airport” are taken from the current site (Bureau number 070351), which opened in late 2008.
Comparisons are made against data from the previous site Canberra Airport Comparison (070014), which ran from 1939 to 2010,
combined with the current site from March 2010 onwards.

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Daily observations Important notes the top

Daily maximum temperatures for September 2020
123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930
Canberra Airport14.818.020.218.817.317.620.322.011.814.617.819.315.820.120.521.023.116.822.117.823.818.314.613.111.310.514.516.718.017.1
Mount Ginini AWS6.17.39.47.96.78.111.513.07.27.612.611.06.212.914.212.215.912.013.19.214.27.81.60.5-0.7-1.33.88.78.75.4
Tuggeranong (Isabella Plains) AWS15.118.520.119.017.817.620.722.111.814.517.619.615.320.120.521.523.715.721.818.323.418.414.213.39.711.514.617.018.015.7
Values are the maximum temperature, usually in the 24 hours from 9 am on the day indicated,
and typically occurred in the afternoon of that day.
Temperatures coloured according to their difference
from the long-term average for the period		 -10.0 -9.0 -8.0 -7.0 -6.0 -5.0 -4.0 -3.0 -2.0 -1.0 0.0 +1.0 +2.0 +3.0 +4.0 +5.0 +6.0 +7.0 +8.0 +9.0 +10.0 °C Grey outline marks highest
and lowest for the period
Daily minimum temperatures for September 2020
123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930
Canberra Airport4.60.22.78.13.9-0.90.92.911.75.85.6-0.54.02.05.32.05.49.811.313.17.87.46.46.24.02.43.3-1.30.85.2
Mount Ginini AWS-2.50.32.72.1-1.9-0.32.15.46.1-1.2-2.31.32.71.14.04.15.73.25.36.56.41.4-0.2-1.7-2.4-6.9-5.0-2.41.12.5
Tuggeranong (Isabella Plains) AWS4.6-0.26.18.42.3-1.3-0.24.011.57.26.4-0.84.51.05.51.35.79.912.313.08.46.59.16.84.13.02.1-1.64.45.5
Values are the minimum temperature, usually in the 24 hours to 9 am on the day indicated,
and typically occurred that morning.
Temperatures coloured according to their difference
from the long-term average for the period		 -10.0 -9.0 -8.0 -7.0 -6.0 -5.0 -4.0 -3.0 -2.0 -1.0 0.0 +1.0 +2.0 +3.0 +4.0 +5.0 +6.0 +7.0 +8.0 +9.0 +10.0 °C Grey outline marks highest
and lowest for the period
Daily rainfall for September 2020
123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930
Aranda (Bindaga St) - - - - - - - - 1.8
Bruce (Australian Institute of Sport) - - - - - - - - 2.8 - 0.4 - - 0.2 - - - - - - 15.8 9.0 - 1.0 - - - 18.6

Canberra Airport - - - - - - - - 1.4 0.2 0.2 - - - - - - 0.2 - 11.0 1.0 9.8 - 0.4 2.0 14.2 - - - -
Ginninderra (Charnwood (ACT)) - - - - - 0.2 - - 2.0 0.2 - - 0.2 - 0.2 - - -
13.6 4.4 7.8 0.2 0.8 2.0 13.8 - 0.2 - -
Mount Ginini AWS - - - 0.2 - - - - 0.6 1.2 - - - 3.2 - - - 2.4 - 24.6 4.8 17.6 0.6 7.0 10.0 26.2 3.2 - - -
Nicholls (Gungahlin Lakes) - - - 1.0 - - - - 2.0 - - - - - - - - - - 14.0 8.0 10.0 - 4.0





Torrens (Darke St) - - - - - - - - 1.8 0.6 - - - - - - - 0.6 - 12.6 3.8








Tuggeranong (Isabella Plains) AWS - - - - - - - - 1.2 0.8 - 0.2 -
- - - 0.4 - 12.6 2.0 5.6 - 1.6 2.8 6.4 - - - -
Most values are the precipitation in the 24 hours to 9 am on the day indicated. Days marked with → are part of a longer accumulation, which is shown on the final day.
Values over 100 mm have been rounded to the nearest whole millimetre.
Days marked with - have a rainfall report of zero; days left blank have no rainfall report (which often indicates no rain fell).
Rainfalls coloured
according to the amount		 0 1.0 5.0 10.0 15.0 25.0 50.0 100 150 200 300 400 600 millimetres

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Daily observations Important notes the top

Notes

The Monthly climate summary, generally published on the first working day of each month, lists the main features of the weather in Australian Capital Territory using the most timely and accurate information available on the date of publication; it will generally not be updated. More extensive discussion of significant weather events, along with later information and data that has had greater opportunity for quality control, will be presented in the Monthly Weather Review.

This summary includes data from observing sites in or near the Australian Capital Territory “Greater Capital City Statistical Area” (GCCSA). The Australian Bureau of Statistics designed the GCCSAs to “include the population within the urban area of the city, as well as people who regularly socialise, shop or work within the city, and live in small towns and rural areas surrounding the city. It is important to note that GCCSAs do not define the built up edge of the city. They provide a stable definition for these cities and are designed for the output of a range of social and economic survey data.”

This statement has been prepared based on information available at 9 am on Thursday 1 October 2020. Some checks have been made on the data, but it is possible that results will change as new information becomes available.

In some situations, some or all of the rainfall is in the form of hail or snow. In these cases the totals given are for the water equivalent: the depth of liquid water that results from melting any frozen precipitation. There can be significant 'undercatch' of snow in strong winds, meaning the true precipitation can be higher than that reported.

Averages for individual sites 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.

Where temperature area averages are mentioned, they are derived from the ACORN-SAT dataset.

Further information

Media
(03) 9669 4057

Creative Commons By Attribution logo Unless otherwise noted, all maps, graphs and diagrams in this page are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence

Climate