Friday, 3 December 2021 - Monthly Climate Summary for Australian Capital Territory - Product code IDCKGC15L0

Australian Capital Territory in November 2021: wettest on record

It was the wettest November on record across the Australian Capital Territory. It was the coolest November in at least 20 years across the Australian Captial Territory. Mean maximum temperatures were 4 to 5 degrees cooler than average.

Wettest on record

  • It was the wettest November on record for the Australian Capital Territory, with rainfall totals more than double the monthly average.
  • Canberra Airport recorded 152.6 mm, exceeding the previous November record of 138.2 mm in 1995.
  • Five other sites also had their highest total November rainfall on record.
  • Daily totals of 20 to 50 mm were reported in the 24 hours to 9am on the 5th, 7th, 12th and 26th as a succession of troughs crossed over the Australian Capital Territory.
  • Storms on the 25th resulted in flash flooding and warnings for minor river flooding.

Cool conditions

  • It was the coolest November in at least 20 years across the Australian Capital Territory.
  • Mean maximum temperatures were 4 to 5 °C below the November average over recent decades.
  • The mean maximum temperature of 20.2 °C at Canberra Airport was the lowest for November since 1992.
  • Tuggeranong had its lowest November mean daily maximum temperature on record (previous record was 1999) and its lowest November mean temperature since 2001.
  • A cold outbreak in the middle of the month saw Canberra Airport with three consecutive days, between the 13th and 15th, of maximum temperatures of 14 °C or below, the first time this has occurred in November.

Canberra Airport

  • Total rainfall for Canberra Airport was 152.6 mm, which is 211% of the average at the current site of 72.2 mm, or 232% of the long-term average of 65.8 mm.
  • The mean daily maximum temperature for Canberra Airport was 20.2 °C, which is 5.1 °C below the average at the current site of 25.3 °C, or 2.8 °C below the long-term average of 23.0 °C.
  • The warmest day was 26.4 °C on the 30th, and the coolest day was on the 13th when the temperature reached 13.4 °C.
  • The mean daily minimum temperature for Canberra Airport was 9.4 °C, which is 0.5 °C below the average at the current site of 9.9 °C, or 0.5 °C above the long-term average of 8.9 °C.
  • The coldest morning was 2.4 °C on the 16th, and the warmest morning was on the 25th when the minimum temperature was 15.0 °C.
    • Note: Observations for “Canberra Airport” are taken from the current site Canberra Airport (070351) which opened in late 2008. Comparisons and long-term averages 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

Extremes in November 2021
Hottest day 26.9 °C at Tuggeranong (Isabella Plains) AWS on the 30th
Warmest days on average 20.2 °C at Canberra Airport
Coolest days on average 11.2 °C at Mount Ginini AWS
Coldest day 0.4 °C at Mount Ginini AWS on the 14th
Coldest night -4.7 °C at Mount Ginini AWS on the 16th
Coolest nights on average 3.6 °C at Mount Ginini AWS
Warmest nights on average 10.1 °C at Tuggeranong (Isabella Plains) AWS
Warmest night 16.7 °C at Tuggeranong (Isabella Plains) AWS on the 25th
Warmest on average overall 15.0 °C at Tuggeranong (Isabella Plains) AWS
Coolest on average overall 7.4 °C at Mount Ginini AWS
Wettest overall 233.8 mm at Mount Ginini AWS
Wettest day 52.6 mm at Torrens (Darke St) on the 26th
Strongest wind gust 106 km/h at Mount Ginini AWS on the 15th

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Daily observations Important notes the top

Record highest November total rainfall
New record
(mm)		 Old
record		 Years of
record		 Average for
November
Canberra (Australian National Botanic Ga 194.1 181.7 in 1989 54 78.9
Aranda (Bindaga St) 199.0 164.0 in 2010 51 72.0
Bruce (Australian Institute of Sport) 187.6 163.4 in 2010 39 77.4
Torrens (Darke St) 210.6 160.8 in 2010 38 81.0
Nicholls (Gungahlin Lakes) 160.7 156.7 in 2011 23 77.1


Record lowest November mean daily maximum temperature
New record
(°C)		 Old
record		 Years of
record		 Average for
November
Tuggeranong (Isabella Plains) AWS 20.0 20.9 in 1999 25 24.4


Lowest November mean temperature for at least 20 years
Observed
(°C)		 Most recent
lower		 Average for
November
Tuggeranong (Isabella Plains) AWS 15.0 =15.0 in 2001 17.1


Extremes Maps Records Summaries Daily observations Important notes the top

Summary statistics for November 2021
Maximum temperatures
(°C)		 Minimum temperatures
(°C)		 Rainfall
(millimetres)
Mean for
November
2021		 Diff
from
average		 Highest for
November
2021		 Mean for
November
2021		 Diff
from
average		 Lowest for
November
2021		 Total for
November
2021		 Average
for
November		 Rank of
November
2021		 Fraction of
November
average
Canberra Airport 20.2 -5.1 26.4 30th 9.4 -0.5 2.4 16th 152.6 72.2 v high 211%
Mount Ginini AWS 11.2 -4.5 17.3 7th 3.6 -2.2 -4.7 16th
Tuggeranong (Isabella Plains) AWS 20.0 -4.4 26.9 30th 10.1 +0.2 1.9 16th

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Daily observations Important notes the top

Daily maximum temperatures for November 2021
123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930
Canberra Airport22.824.823.816.217.222.825.224.923.321.123.216.313.414.013.917.520.723.323.117.316.618.922.521.423.714.414.617.824.226.4
Mount Ginini AWS15.615.515.010.48.812.517.315.315.111.215.88.15.60.40.510.512.814.511.08.77.48.114.713.114.35.55.911.415.017.2
Tuggeranong (Isabella Plains) AWS23.124.123.816.216.822.626.124.923.721.424.015.312.813.613.917.220.523.321.316.216.517.722.020.824.013.814.817.924.026.9
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 November 2021
123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930
Canberra Airport3.96.24.814.712.913.513.214.712.011.010.78.68.86.16.62.47.35.411.713.710.66.88.313.915.012.99.25.04.68.3
Mount Ginini AWS3.75.05.08.55.66.36.76.93.86.61.92.30.9-1.8-3.2-4.7-0.93.46.56.63.91.82.56.810.45.40.8-0.21.56.9
Tuggeranong (Isabella Plains) AWS4.85.17.314.713.013.413.414.712.311.49.98.98.86.76.91.98.65.412.513.710.88.39.213.916.712.48.88.910.010.1
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 November 2021
123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930
Aranda (Bindaga St) - - - 9.8 37.6 3.2 24.8 0.2 - 1.2 0.2 36.8 9.0 12.2 4.6 0.2 - - - 2.0 5.6 0.2 - - 19.8 24.4 7.2 - - -
Bruce (Australian Institute of Sport) - - - 9.6 23.0 - - 31.8 - - - 40.0 - - 24.8 - - - - → → 10.0 - - 16.4 32.0



Canberra (Australian National Botanic Ga - - - 14.5 29.0 2.0 21.4 0.2 - 1.2 0.2 35.7 12.4 10.6 4.8 0.2 - - - 1.7 6.8 0.2 - - 14.8 31.8 6.6 -

Canberra Airport - - - 11.6 25.4 0.6 16.6 - - 0.8 - 30.8 5.8 7.2 5.6 0.6 - - - 2.0 6.4 - - - 7.6 26.8 4.8 - - -
Ginninderra (Charnwood (ACT)) - - - 30.4 31.6 1.0 31.0 - - 0.2 0.4 36.6 8.6 8.8 1.6 0.2 - - - 1.2 6.2 0.6 - - 9.6 7.6 4.0 0.4 0.4 0.2
Mount Ginini AWS



29.0 13.8 14.4 1.0 - 7.2 0.8 19.6 26.0 12.8 8.6 1.6 - 0.2 - 16.0 8.6 0.8 - - 13.4 34.0 26.0 - - -
Nicholls (Gungahlin Lakes) - - - 8.0 13.5 - 21.0 1.0 - - - 38.0 8.2 10.6 6.0 - - - - 1.6 8.2 0.6 - - 17.0 21.0 6.0


Sutton (Uba) - - - 5.6 22.3 0.6 21.6 2.0 - 0.2 - 28.8 11.0 11.4















Torrens (Darke St) - - - 11.2 34.8 3.2 18.0 0.2 - 0.8 - 33.6 14.0 14.2 5.0 - - - - 2.2 3.2 - - - 10.8 52.6 6.8


Tuggeranong (Isabella Plains) AWS - - -

2.6 14.2 0.2 - 1.8 - 32.6 13.8 16.6 3.4 - - - - 4.2 7.8 - - - 10.6 48.4 5.8 - - -
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 10 am on Friday 3 December 2021. 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

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