Wednesday 1 August, 2012 — Monthly Climate Summary for Australia — Product Code IDCKGC1A00

Australia in July 2012

Temperatures Rainfall Extremes Important notes the top

In Brief

Rainfall was generally above average in eastern Australia during July. Most of Western Australia, South Australia, the Northern Territory, Tasmania, and small areas of the east coast from Victoria to southeast Queensland received below-average July rainfall. For Western Australia as a whole, it was the third-driest July since records began in 1900. The July mean maximum temperature was below average across much of northern Australia. Maxima were above average for far northern Queensland, the western Top End, southeastern Australia, and much of western Western Australia. Minimum temperatures were above average for most of mainland coastal eastern Australia and Tasmania's western coast. Minima were below average for July for Western Australia, South Australia, and lowest on record for a large part of central Australia.

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Temperatures

Averaged over July, maximum temperatures were near average for Australia as a whole. The national anomaly was +0.07 °C. Queensland recorded its coolest July-averaged maximum temperature since 1989, and with the Northern Territory, were the only regions to record below-average monthly maximum temperatures. Tasmania recorded its sixth-warmest July for maximum temperatures (records commence in 1950), with an anomaly of +1.36 °C. Victorian average maximum temperatures were also notable; 0.86 °C above average for the ninth-warmest July on record. Maximum temperatures were below average across much of northern Australia, with a large part of the central Queensland coast recorded decile 1 (in the lowest 10% of records) maxima for July. However, in far northern Queensland and the Northern Territory's western Top End maximum temperatures were above average, as they also were for Tasmania, Victoria and southern and central New South Wales, and western and southern Western Australia.

For Australia as a whole, the July mean minimum was the eight-coolest on record. The national anomaly was −0.96 °C, the coolest July since 1982. South Australia also recorded its eight-coolest July, the Northern Territory its third-coolest, and Western Australia it's coolest July on record (anomalies of −1.32 °C, −1.81 °C, and −1.71 °C, respectively). Minimum temperatures averaged over July were below average for Western Australia, the most of the Northern Territory, South Australia, and adjacent parts of New South Wales and southwestern Queensland. For a large part of central Australia minima were lowest on record for July; parts of central Australia recorded minima 4 to 5 °C below average. Minimum temperatures were above average for far northern Queensland, southeast Queensland and northeast New South Wales, coastal western Tasmania, and most of southern Victoria and adjacent parts of southeastern South Australia.

Areal average temperatures
	Maximum Temperature			Minimum Temperature
	Rank (out of 63)	Anomaly* (°C)	Comment	Rank (out of 63)	Anomaly* (°C)	Comment
Australia	25	+0.07		8	−0.96	lowest since 1982
Queensland	17	−0.28	lowest since 1989	37	+0.31
New South Wales	45.5	+0.77		28.5	+0.02
Victoria	55	+0.86		33.5	+0.24
Tasmania	58	+1.36		39.5	+0.39
South Australia	29	+0.10		8	−1.32	lowest since 1997
Western Australia	33	+0.23		1	−1.71	lowest on record
Northern Territory	21	−0.43		3	−1.81	3rd lowest; record is −2.03 °C (1977)

^*Anomaly is the departure from the long-term (1961–1990) average.
A fractional rank indicates that the value is tied for that rank.

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

July rainfall was above average across most of Queensland and adjacent parts of the Northern Territory and the eastern Top End. Rainfall was also above average for most of northern and western New South Wales, adjacent parts of South Australia, as well as small areas of western and central Victoria, southeast South Australia, and the southern coast of Western Australia. Averaged over Australia, July rainfall was 17% below average, ranking as the 45th-driest year in 113 years of record. For Western Australia, it was the third-driest July on record (record commenced in 1900); averaged across the state, rainfall was 71% below average. It was the driest July on record for southwest Western Australia. Perth Metro received a record 34.6 mm of rain during July, beating the previous July record-low of 61.5 mm, set in 1876. Tasmania also experienced a notably dry July, with the state average the tenth-driest on record and 42% below average.

Most of northern and central Australia received little or no rainfall during July, which is typical of the northern dry season. Notably, although July is typically also dry for northern Queensland, most of this area recorded above to very much above average July rainfall, with some small parts receiving highest-on-record rainfall. For Queensland as a whole, July rainfall was 84% above average.

Area-average rainfall
	Rank (out of 113)	Average (mm)	Departure from mean*	Comment
Australia	45	18.4	−17%
Queensland	96	35.1	+84%
New South Wales	66	41.3	+5%
Victoria	52	63.5	−9%
Tasmania	10	91.7	−42%	lowest since 2001
South Australia	24	9.9	−47%
Western Australia	3	5.8	−71%	3rd lowest; record is 4.1 mm (1937)
Northern Territory	54	1.1	−84%
Murray-Darling Basin	75	42.3	+6%

^*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 July 2012
Hottest day	36.4 °C at Ngukurr (NT) on 13 July
Coldest day	−3.9 °C at Thredbo Top Station (NSW) on 6 July
Coldest night	−14.0 °C at Charlotte Pass (Kosciusko Chalet) (NSW) on 6 July
Warmest night	25.9 °C at Coconut Island (Qld) on 15 July
Wettest day	180.4 mm at Daradgee (Qld) on 10 July

Temperatures Rainfall Extremes Important notes the top

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