Australia in April 2021

In brief

  • Rainfall was below average for Australia as a whole, and for New South Wales and South Australia it was amongst the driest Aprils on record
  • Rainfall for the month was below average for most of most of mainland Australia, between the south-east and the east of Western Australia, and the north-eastern half of Tasmania
  • Rainfall for the month was above average for Queensland's Cape York Peninsula and adjacent northern Queensland, and around most of the west and north-west coast of Western Austalia
  • Mean maximum temperatures for April were warmer than average for most of the continental southern Australia away from the southeast, and across parts of the far tropical north of the country
  • Mean maximum temperatures were cooler than average north-eastern New South Wales and adjacent southern Queensland
  • Mean minimum temperatures for April were cooler than average for New South Wales and adjacent parts of the surrounding states, the south-western half of the Northern Territory, far northern South Australia, and the north-eastern quadrant of Western Australia
  • Mean minimum temperatures were warmer than average for most of western and southern Western Australia, northern Queensland, and most of the southern half of Tasmania

Temperatures

The national mean temperature for April was 0.21 °C warmer than average for Australia as a whole.

The mean maximum temperature was above average for April at +0.85 °C. The mean minimum temperature was below average for April at −0.43 °C. None of the States or Territories ranked in the top or bottom 10 warmest or coolest for their respective maximum or minimum April temperature ranks.

Mean maximum temperatures for April were warmer than average for most of the southern half of Western Australia and South Australia, extending into north-west Victoria and south-west New South Wales, around the coast of far northern Australia, and in north-east Tasmania.

Maximum temperatures for the month were cooler than average for north-eastern New South Wales and adjacent southern Queensland, extending inland to the Maranoa and Warrego and Upper Western New South Wales. Minima were also cooler than average for smaller pockets in Queensland's Central Coast and in the south-west of the Northern Territory.

The mean minimum temperature for the month was warmer than average for most of western and southern Western Australia, northern Queensland, and most of the southern half of Tasmania.

The mean minimum temperature for April was cooler than average for a large area between the north-west and the south-east of the country. This included New South Wales, southern Queensland, northern Victoria, large parts of eastern and northern South Australia, the south-western half of the Northern Territory, and the Kimberley, eastern Pilbara, and north of the Interior District in Western Australia. Nights were particularly cool in inland south-eastern Australia, with large parts of inland New South Wales 2 to 3 degrees below the April average. A large number of sites in New South Wales and a few in South Australia had their coolest April mean daily minimum temperature on record, or the coolest for at least 20 years. Cool nights contributed to some sites in New South Wales having their lowest April mean temperature on record, or for at least 20 years.

The first days of April were much warmer than average across southern Australia, with clear skies keeping temperatures high. A number of sites in Western Australia recorded their highest April temperature on record during the first days of the month, as did a number in Tasmania recorded their highest April temperature on record on the 3rd. Later, a few sites in Queensland set records for their warmest April day on record on the 10th or 11th, as the heat moved northward and a hot air mass pushed across the state.

A strong cold front crossed the south-east on the 10th, bringing damaging winds, powerful surf along the coast, and cool temperatures in a polar air mass behind the front. Snow fell across the southern side of the Alpine region and light snow flurries were observed to lower elevations in some areas, including the Dandenong Ranges to the east of Melbourne.

Towards the end of the month a cold outbreak stretched across south-eastern Australia. A large number of sites had their coolest April temperatures for at least 10 years during the period between the 20th and 24th, with nights remaining cooler further into the period. A number of sites in New South Wales observed their lowest April temperature on record on the 22nd, as did a couple in South Australia on the preceding day, and a few in Tasmania had their lowest April daily maximum temperature on the 20th. A few sites in the Northern Territory had record low temperatures for April on the 25th, but all were sites with less than 30 years of observations.


Areal average temperatures
Maximum Temperature Minimum Temperature Mean Temperature
Rank
(of 112)
Anomaly
(°C)
Comment Rank
(of 112)
Anomaly
(°C)
Comment Rank
(of 112)
Anomaly
(°C)
Comment
Australia 89 +0.85 = 44 −0.43 74 +0.21
Queensland 60 +0.25 66 +0.11 63 +0.18
New South Wales 55 −0.17 18 −1.78 = 30 −0.97
Victoria 73 +0.41 49 −0.65 62 −0.11
Tasmania 66 −0.19 83 +0.38 79 +0.10
South Australia 92 +1.15 35 −0.81 72 +0.17
Western Australia 100 +1.69 = 64 +0.05 92 +0.87
Northern Territory = 77 +0.58 33 −0.93 61 −0.17

Rank ranges from 1 (lowest) to 112 (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
MeanAnomalyDeciles
Mean
daily
maximum
temperatures
Map of mean daily maximum temperature Map of mean daily maximum temperature anomalies Map of mean daily maximum temperature deciles
Mean
daily
minimum
temperatures
Map of mean daily minimum temperature Map of mean daily minimum temperature anomalies Map of mean daily minimum temperature deciles
Mean
daily
temperatures
Map of mean daily temperature Map of mean daily temperature anomalies Map of mean daily temperature deciles

Rainfall

April rainfall was well below average for Australia as a whole. For New South Wales it was the eighth-driest April on record and for South Australia it was the seventh-driest.

Rainfall for the month was below or very much below average for most of New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia, the eastern half of Western Australia, the Northern Territory except the Top End, western and south-western Queensland, and the north-eastern half of Tasmania.

Rainfall for the month was above average for Queensland's Cape York Peninsula and adjacent northern Queensland, and around most of the west and north-west coast of Western Australia.

Severe tropical cyclone Seroja crossed the coast of Western Australia between Kalbarri and Geraldton during the evening of the 11th, bringing heavy rainfall and damaging winds to a broad area. Several sites in South West Western Australia had their highest April daily rainfall on record.

Significant rain fell in tropical north Queensland during the latter part of April associated with coastal pressure troughs, with particularly heavy falls in the Cairns region between the 19th and 27th. A number of sites had their highest April daily rainfall on record, or their highest total April rainfall on record.


Area-average rainfall
Rank
(of 122)
Average
(mm)
Departure
from mean
Comment
Australia 40 18.9 −38%
Queensland 89 45.3 +10%
New South Wales = 8 11.3 −76% equal 8th lowest; lowest since 2005
Victoria 15 18.1 −64%
Tasmania 45 91.8 −18%
South Australia 7 2.2 −87% 7th lowest; lowest since 1997
Western Australia 47 13.0 −38%
Northern Territory 35 9.1 −67%
Murray-Darling Basin 10 7.2 −82% 10th lowest; lowest since 2005

Rank ranges from 1 (lowest) to 122 (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
TotalsPercentagesDeciles
Total
rainfall
Map of total rainfall Map of percentage of normal rain Map of rainfall deciles


Australian weather extremes during April 2021
Hottest day 41.5 °C    at Eyre (WA) on the 7th
Coldest day −2.2 °C    at Thredbo AWS (NSW) on the 11th
Coldest night −7.4 °C    at Liawenee (Tas.) on the 21st
Warmest night 29.0 °C    at Channel Point (NT) on the 9th
Wettest day 286.0 mm at Mt Sophia (Qld) on the 21st


Notes

The Monthly Climate Summary is prepared to list the main features of the weather in Australia 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 following month.

Climate Summaries are usually published on the first working day of each month.

This statement has been prepared based on information available at 10:00 am EDST on Monday 3 May 2021. Some checks have been made on the data, but it is possible that results will change as new information becomes available, especially for rainfall where much more data becomes available as returns are received from volunteers.

Long-term averages in this statement and associated tables are for the period 1961 to 1990 unless otherwise specified. Temperature area averages are derived from the ACORN-SAT version 2 dataset. Rainfall area averages, along with rainfall and temperature maps, are derived from the AWAP dataset.


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