Monday 1 May 2017 — Monthly Summary for Australia — Product Code IDCKGC1A00

Australia in April 2017

Temperatures Rainfall Extremes Important notes the top

In brief

• A warmer than average month overall.
• The continuation of warm conditions contributed to the sixth warmest January to April period on record.
• Rainfall below average overall.
• Above average rain for northwestern Western Australia through to South Australia, western New South Wales and much of Victoria.

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Temperatures

The national mean temperature for April was 0.09 °C above average. The national mean maximum temperature was 0.28 °C above average and mean minimum temperature 0.10 °C below average. Following the exceptionally warm March, temperatures for April were relatively less extreme across the country. Temperatures were mostly below average along the east coast and parts of central and southern Western Australia. Temperatures were above average across northern Australia, southwest Queensland, and southeast Australia excluding eastern Victoria. There were some areas of very much above average temperatures (in the highest 10% of historical observations; decile 10) in the central part of the west coast of Western Australia and the west coast of Tasmania. Temperatures were close to average elsewhere.

Maximum temperatures were average to very much above average for Tasmania; parts of coastal Victoria; southwestern New South Wales; western, central and areas of northern Queensland; much of the Northern Territory excluding the far north; parts of southeastern South Australia; and western parts of Western Australia extending south from the Gascoyne region. Western parts of Tasmania were very much above average for the month as was an area along the central west coast of Western Australia.

Maximum temperatures were below average for the far north of the Northern Territory and Queensland, for southeast Queensland and northeast New South Wales and in regions in the north central parts of Western Australia.

Minimum temperatures were warmer than average for parts of northern Australia, much of Tasmania, and in a large area extending north from western Victoria and eastern South Australia, through western New South Wales and into southwestern Queensland. Minima were in the highest 10% of historical observations (decile 10) for small areas in the northern part of the Northern Territory, southwestern Victoria, and northwestern Tasmania.

Minimum temperatures were below average across large parts of central Western Australia, in the far southwest and in southern areas to the east of Esperance and in small areas elsewhere across Australia, especially in a large area of Queensland inland from Rockhampton.

Areal average temperatures
	Maximum Temperature			Minimum Temperature			Mean Temperature
	Rank (of 108)	Anomaly (°C)	Comment	Rank (of 108)	Anomaly (°C)	Comment	Rank (of 108)	Anomaly (°C)	Comment
Australia	70	+0.28		64	−0.10		70	+0.09
Queensland	81	+0.72		58	−0.12		67	+0.30
New South Wales	= 59	−0.11		71	+0.24		= 59	+0.07
Victoria	73	+0.48		89	+0.66		= 84	+0.57
Tasmania	91	+0.78		= 80	+0.31		89	+0.54
South Australia	52	−0.08		70	+0.04		= 65	−0.01
Western Australia	= 57	+0.15		44	−0.33		53	−0.08
Northern Territory	= 73	+0.43		54	−0.11		68	+0.16

Rank ranges from 1 (lowest) to 108 (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, rainfall for Australia during April was somewhat below average. However, this disguises marked differences in the rainfall received over different parts of the country.

April rainfall was above to very much above average in the far north of the Northern Territory and in a band extending from northwestern Western Australia, down through South Australia into western parts of New South Wales and Victoria. Monthly rainfall was in the highest 10% of historical observations (decile 10) over a large part of South Australia, some western parts of New South Wales and Victoria, east central Western Australia and the far northern parts of the Northern Territory and Queensland. South Australian rainfall was the tenth wettest on record for April with a large area receiving more than 400% of the April average.

April rainfall was below to very much below average for southwest Western Australia, central and eastern parts of the Northern Territory, much of central and eastern Queensland, large parts of Tasmania; and scattered areas in central and eastern New South Wales. Monthly rainfall was in the lowest 10% of historical observations (decile 1) over western Tasmania, large parts of central to eastern Queensland, the southwestern coast of Western Australia, and scattered areas in the Northern Territory.

Area-average rainfall
	Rank (of 118)	Average (mm)	Departure from mean	Comment
Australia	57	25.5	−17%
Queensland	23	11.8	−72%
New South Wales	51	27.5	−41%
Victoria	101	77.1	+51%
Tasmania	19	67.4	−40%
South Australia	109	32.6	+100%	10th highest
Western Australia	72	22.8	+9%
Northern Territory	79	31.1	+12%
Murray-Darling Basin	65	27.8	−27%

Rank ranges from 1 (lowest) to 118 (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 April 2017
Hottest day	40.2 °C	at Carnarvon Airport (WA) on the 10th
Coldest day	−0.8 °C	at Mount Hotham (Vic.) on the 26th
Coldest night	−6.1 °C	at Thredbo AWS (NSW) on the 27th
Warmest night	28.8 °C	at Troughton Island (WA) on the 3rd
Wettest day	222.4 mm	at Warruwi Airport (NT) on the 11th

Temperatures Rainfall Extremes Important notes the top

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