Wednesday, 1 June, 2011 — Monthly Climate Summary for Australia — Product Code IDCKGC1A00

Australia in May 2011

Temperatures Rainfall Extremes Important notes the top

In Brief

Rainfall was generally below or near average across Australia, with a few small areas recording above average falls. Temperatures were cooler than normal during both the day and night in most parts of the country.

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Temperatures

Maximum temperatures were 1.33 °C below normal (7th lowest on record), the coolest since 2000. All states and territories recorded below average daytime temperatures. The most significant cool anomalies were experienced across the central Northern Territory and the Pilbara region of Western Australia, with maximum temperatures up to 4 °C below normal.

Warmer than average daytime temperatures were only experienced in the southwest corner of Western Australia (up to 2 °C warmer than normal), and the tip of Cape York in Queensland. Temperatures across Tasmania remained fairly close to normal.

Nationally, minimum temperatures were 1.75 °C below normal (3rd lowest on record). Northern Australia was significantly cooler than average, with parts of central Queensland up to 6 °C cooler than normal. Both Queensland and the Northern Territory recorded their second lowest May minimum temperature on record. The western third of Western Australia was warmer than average, as were small areas along the south coast of Australia.

Areal average temperatures
	Maximum Temperature			Minimum Temperature
	Rank (out of 62)	Anomaly* (°C)	Comment	Rank (out of 62)	Anomaly* (°C)	Comment
Australia	7	−1.33	Lowest since 2000	3	−1.75	Lowest since 1976
Queensland	7	−1.21	Lowest since 2000	2	−3.05	Second lowest on record; Record − 3.11 (2001)
New South Wales	12	−0.66	Lowest since 2000	4	−2.05
Victoria	10	−0.96	Lowest since 1970	16	−0.82
Tasmania	27.5	−0.06		37.5	+0.06
South Australia	5	−1.64	Lowest since 1979	23	−0.36
Western Australia	10.5	−1.11	Lowest since 2000	14	−0.70
Northern Territory	5	−2.19	Lowest since 2000	2	−3.14	Second lowest on record; Record − 3.42 (1976)

^*Anomaly is the departure from the long-term (1961-1990) average.

Temperature maps
	Mean	Anomaly	Deciles
Mean daily maximum temperatures
Mean daily minimum temperatures

Temperatures Rainfall Extremes Important notes the top

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Rainfall

Rainfall averaged over Australia was 46% lower than normal (25th driest out of 112 years of record). May 2011 is the first month with below average rainfall for Australia as a whole since June 2010. All states and territories recorded lower than their mean rainfall.

Higher than average falls were recorded in central South Australia and in small patches along the central east coast of Australia and parts of Western Australia. Below average rainfall was recorded across much of northern Australia, especially in the Arnhem region of the Northern Territory and across Cape York in Queensland. Little to no rainfall fell in these regions. Southwest Western Australia, northern Victoria, Tasmania and the Riverina districts in NSW also received below average rainfall.

Areal average rainfall
	Rank (out of 112)	Average (mm)	Departure from mean*	Comment
Australia	25	15.4	−46%
Queensland	33	12.0	−61%
New South Wales	55	33.2	−30%
Victoria	45	46.3	−29%
Tasmania	13	71.2	−48%
South Australia	61	17.1	−20%
Western Australia	31	14.7	−43%
Northern Territory	20	0.9	−94%
Murray-Darling Basin	51	27.7	−34%

^*The mean is calculated for the 1961-1990 reference period.

Rainfall maps
	Totals	Percentages	Deciles
Total rainfall

Temperatures Rainfall Extremes Important notes the top

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Australian weather extremes in May 2011
Hottest day	35.1 °C at Wyndham (WA) on the 3rd
Coldest day	−4.6 °C at Thredbo (NSW) on the 11th
Coldest night	−9.0 °C at Woolbrook (NSW) on the 15th
Warmest night	27.1 °C at Troughton Island (WA) on the 10th
Wettest day	122.0 mm at Katoomba (NSW) on the 31st

Temperatures Rainfall Extremes Important notes the top

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