Tuesday, 2 April 2013 - Monthly Climate Summary for Canberra - Product code IDCKGC25R0

Canberra in March 2013: A dry March brings warm days and cool nights

  • Driest & warmest March days since 2009
  • Coldest March nights since 1994

Extremes Records Summaries Important notes the top

Rainfall

Canberra Airport recorded 28 mm of rain during March, half the historical average of 50.7 mm and the driest March since 2009. The rain fell over four days (average 7 days), the fewest since 2 days in 2009. The passage of a cold front produced 12.8 mm at the airport on the 1st, while thunderstorms on the 21st generated totals of 13 mm at the airport and up to 32.2 mm at Mt Ginini to 9am on the 22nd.

Temperature

Canberra Airport recorded a mean maximum temperature of 25.7 °C during March, 1.2 °C above the historical average and the warmest March since 2009. Three days reached at least 30 °C during the month, close to the historical average but the first March with any hot days since 2009 (5 days). Twelve consecutive days exceeded 25 °C between 5-16 March, the first since 18-29 March 2009 and the 9th such warm spell on record for Canberra.

The average minimum temperature was 9.6 °C, 1.1 °C below the historical average and the coolest March since 8.8 °C was recorded in 1994. Eighteen nights were 10 °C or lower (average 13 nights) with six nights dropping below 5 °C (average 2 nights). This was the most cold nights since 6 nights reached 5 °C or colder in 1965, and the equal second highest number on record for March. The mean temperature was consequently 17.7 °C, 0.1 °C above the historical average.

Further information

NSW Climate Services Centre
NSW Regional Office
Bureau of Meteorology
Phone (02) 9296 1555
Email climate.nsw@bom.gov.au
Extremes in March 2013
Hottest day 31.8 °C at Canberra Airport on the 10th
Warmest days on average 25.7 °C at Canberra Airport
Coolest days on average 16.3 °C at Mount Ginini AWS
Coldest day 9.6 °C at Mount Ginini AWS on the 2nd
Coldest night 0.6 °C at Mount Ginini AWS on the 29th
Coolest nights on average 6.8 °C at Mount Ginini AWS
Warmest nights on average 10.7 °C at Tuggeranong (Isabella Plains) AWS
Warmest night 17.6 °C at Tuggeranong (Isabella Plains) AWS on the 15th
Warmest on average overall 17.9 °C at Tuggeranong (Isabella Plains) AWS
Coolest on average overall 11.5 °C at Mount Ginini AWS
Wettest overall 60.6 mm at Mount Ginini AWS
Wettest day 32.2 mm at Mount Ginini AWS on the 22nd
Highest wind gust 78 km/h at Mount Ginini AWS on the 21st

Extremes Records Summaries Important notes the top

Summary statistics for March 2013
Maximum temperatures
for March
(°C)		 Minimum temperatures
for March
(°C)		 Rainfall
for March
(millimetres)
Mean for
March
2013		 Diff
from
average		 Highest for
March
2013		 Mean for
March
2013		 Diff
from
average		 Lowest for
March
2013		 Total for
March
2013		 Average
for
March		 Rank of
March
2013		 Fraction of
March
average
Canberra Airport 25.7 +1.2 31.8 10th 9.6 -1.1 3.2 31st 28.0 50.7 average 55%
Mount Ginini AWS 16.3   21.9 7th 6.8   0.6 29th 60.6
Tuggeranong (Isabella Plains) AWS 25.1   31.0 10th 10.7   3.1 30th 22.2

Extremes Records Summaries Important notes the top

Notes

As of March 2010, the official station for Canberra is 70351 'Canberra Airport'. Averages from the previous site, 70014 Canberra Airport Comparison, are used for comparisons (all years of record).

A Monthly Climate Summary is prepared to list the main features of the weather in Canberra using the most timely and accurate information available on the date of publication; it will generally not be updated. Later information, including data that has had greater opportunity for quality control, will be presented in the Monthly Weather Review, usually published in the fourth week of the month.

This statement has been prepared based on information available at 8 am on Tuesday 2 April 2013. Some checks have been made on the data, but it is possible that results will change as new information becomes available.

Averages 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 20 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.

Further information

Climate Officer
NSW Climate Services Centre
NSW Regional Office
Bureau of Meteorology
Phone (02) 9296 1555
Email climate.nsw@bom.gov.au