Wednesday, 1 October, 2014 — Monthly Summary for Australia — Product Code IDCKGC1A00

Australia in September 2014

Temperatures Rainfall Extremes Important notes the top

In Brief

Maximum temperatures during September were warmer than average across all of Australia except parts of Queensland and New South Wales, with areas of central and coastal southern Western Australia recording their warmest days for September. Minimum temperatures were warmer than average for Western Australia except the Kimberley, western and central South Australia, Tasmania and the coast of Victoria and southern and central New South Wales. Minima were cooler than average across much of northern Australia and smaller areas in southern New South Wales and eastern South Australia. The national maximum temperature anomaly of +2.03 °C was the fifth-highest on record for September, while minimum temperatures were 0.41 °C warmer than average, combining to give a mean temperature anomaly of +1.22 °C.

September rainfall was above average for central eastern Queensland, northwestern New South Wales and across parts of Western Australia including the Pilbara, Gascoyne and parts of the south coast. Across most of the remainder of Australia rainfall was below average for September and in the lowest 10% of records for large areas of Tasmania, western Victoria and far southeastern South Australia. For Australia as a whole, rainfall was 27% below average for September.

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Temperatures

September was a warm month for Australia; particularly in the west where both days and nights were warmer than average leading to Western Australia's second-warmest September mean temperature (+1.97 °C). Maximum temperatures during September were above average to highest on record for Western Australia with the anomaly for that State highest on record for September, coming in at +2.75 °C. Maxima were also above to very much above average for the Northern Territory, western and northern Queensland, South Australia, southern and northeastern New South Wales inland of the Great Dividing Range and in the highest 10% of records for most of Victoria and all of Tasmania. The Tasmanian September maximum temperature anomaly was their second-highest on record at +1.93 °C and Victoria's +2.01 °C their seventh-highest. Queensland and New South Wales were the only regions with an area-averaged anomaly outside of the twelve warmest on record for September. September maxima were in the highest 10% of records for 49% of Australia in total. Maxima were cooler than average for a small area of central eastern Queensland, associated with above-average rainfall in the region.

Minimum temperatures were below average for much of far northern Australia and for areas of New South Wales inland of the Great Dividing Range in the south and in South Australia across the Riverlands. Western Australia recorded the largest departure from mean with nights on average 1.18 °C warmer than average for their sixth-warmest September. Minimum temperatures were in the highest 10% of records for nearly all of Western Australia south of the Kimberley, above average for South Australia except along the eastern border, across Tasmania and along parts of the coast in the mainland southeast across the Yorke and Fleurieu peninsulas in South Australia, most of Victoria and extending north to around Port Macquarie.

Areal average temperatures
	Maximum Temperature			Minimum Temperature			Mean Temperature
	Rank (of 105)	Anomaly (°C)	Comment	Rank (of 105)	Anomaly (°C)	Comment	Rank (of 105)	Anomaly (°C)	Comment
Australia	101	+2.03	5th highest	= 67	+0.41		93	+1.22
Queensland	87	+1.05		= 49	−0.16		= 70	+0.44
New South Wales	84	+1.47		= 70	+0.44		79	+0.95
Victoria	99	+2.01	7th highest	= 69	+0.26		94	+1.13
Tasmania	104	+1.93	2nd highest (record +2.21 °C in 2001)	89	+0.64		101	+1.28	5th highest
South Australia	95	+2.33		86	+0.96		94	+1.64
Western Australia	105	+2.75	highest (was +2.31 °C in 1980)	100	+1.18	6th highest	104	+1.97	2nd highest (record +1.98 °C in 1981)
Northern Territory	94	+2.07		37	−0.70		71	+0.68

Rank ranges from 1 (lowest) to 105 (highest). A rank marked with ’=‘ indicates the value is tied for that rank. Anomaly is the departure from the long-term (1961–1990) average.

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

Temperatures Rainfall Extremes Important notes the top

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Rainfall

Nationally-averaged rainfall during September was 27% below the long-term mean. The Northern Territory, Kimberley, the east of Western Australia and much of northern Queensland recorded below-average monthly rainfall. The Northern Territory recorded the largest departure from mean with rainfall 99% below average for their fourth-lowest September rainfall, although totals are typically low at this time of the year during the 'build up'. Rainfall was also below average for western and southern South Australia, Tasmania, most of Victoria and much of eastern New South Wales. For parts of southeastern South Australia, western Victoria and Tasmania rainfall was in the lowest 10% of records for the month to lowest on record for an area of Victoria around and north of Colac.

September rainfall was above average for an area of northwestern New South Wales and adjacent South Australia as well as a large area of central eastern Queensland extending from the Central Highlands to around Townsville. Several locations in Queensland set new daily rainfall records for September in an event late in the month when totals of 50 mm or more were broadly recorded. Rainfall was also above average in parts of western and southern Western Australia from the Pilbara and Gascoyne through the Goldfields District to the Eucla. Rain along parts of the west coast will help moderate rainfall deficiencies in the region. Carnarvon (33.2 mm for the month) saw its best rain in two and a half years, with their highest monthly total since March 2012.

Area-average rainfall
	Rank (of 115)	Average (mm)	Departure from mean	Comment
Australia	= 44	12.1	−27%
Queensland	83	15.0	+17%
New South Wales	38	23.1	−34%
Victoria	22	42.2	−36%
Tasmania	11	83.7	−39%
South Australia	24	7.4	−57%
Western Australia	67	9.9	−6%
Northern Territory	4	0.1	−99%	4th lowest (record 0.0 mm in 1938)
Murray-Darling Basin	38	22.7	−33%

Rank ranges from 1 (lowest) to 115 (highest). A rank marked with ’=‘ indicates the value is tied for that rank. Departure from mean is relative to the long-term (1961–1990) average.

Rainfall maps
	Totals	Percentages	Deciles
Total rainfall

Temperatures Rainfall Extremes Important notes the top

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Australian weather extremes during September 2014
Hottest day	41.1 °C at Fitzroy Crossing Aero (WA) on 29 September
Coldest day	−2.7 °C at Thredbo AWS (NSW) on 3 September
Coldest night	−8.3 °C at Thredbo AWS (NSW) on 3 September
Warmest night	26.1 °C at Darwin NTC AWS (NT) on 28 September
Wettest day	80.6 mm at Yaamba (Qld.) on 23 September

Temperatures Rainfall Extremes Important notes the top

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