Northern Territory Monthly Climate Summary: August 2006
Cool in the north

Tuesday 5 September, 2006

In Brief

August 2006 was another cool and dry month in the northern parts of the Territory, perpetuating conditions that have persisted since May. In the dry inland parts of the Territory, night-time temperatures were generally near to below average, while day-time temperatures this August were 1−2°C warmer than normal. The largest anomalies were in the Alice Springs region. Little rain fell during August, though this is not unusual in what is typically a dry month. The dry August perpetuates an ongoing dry spell, particularly in the far southeast of the Territory, where 12-month rainfall figures are approaching the lowest 10% of historical values.

Tables of Territory extremes, some new records, and summaries for sites across the Territory appear below.

Weather extremes during August 2006
Highest temperature
Hottest day		 36.9 °C Douglas River AWS
Highest mean daily maximum temperature
Warmest days on average		 33.1 °C Middle Point AWS
Lowest mean daily maximum temperature
Coolest days on average		 23.8 °C Arltunga
Lowest daily maximum temperature
Coldest day		 16.2 °C Papunya on the 28th
Lowest temperature
Coldest night		 −2.5 °C Arltunga on the 19th
Lowest mean daily minimum temperature
Coldest nights on average		 4.3 °C Arltunga
Highest mean daily minimum temperature
Warmest nights on average		 21.4 °C Warruwi AWS
Highest daily minimum
Warmest night		 23.5 °C Black Point on the 16th
Highest total rainfall
Wettest overall		 6.8 mm Gove Airport
Highest daily rainfall
Wettest day		 4.0 mm Alice Springs Airport on the 28th

Records

Record Highest Mean Maximum Temperature for August 2006


Mean daily maximum
temperature
(°C) 		Previous highest Years of
record
Kulgera
24.4
24.1
in 1982
24
Watarrka
26.0
25.7
in 1995
16


Record Lowest Mean Maximum Temperature for August 2006


Mean daily maximum
temperature
(°C) 		Previous lowest Years of
record
Katherine Aviation Museum
30.9
31.0
in 1994
21
Ngukurr
30.9
31.5
in 1963
13


Record Lowest Mean Maximum Temperature for May to August 2006


Mean daily maximum
temperature
(°C) 		Previous lowest Years of
record
Larrimah
28.9
29.2
in 1977
36
Victoria River Downs
28.5
29.4
in 2000
31
Gove Airport
27.6
28.0
in 1971
25
Timber Creek
30.0
31.0
in 1982
24
Mango Farm
30.4
31.1
in 2000
22
Katherine Aviation Museum
29.4
30.5
in 2000
19
Wollogorang
28.7
29.5
in 2000
16
McArthur River Mine
29.7
29.8
in 1977
12
Borroloola AWS
29.4
29.8
in 1971
11
Douglas River
30.8
31.2
in 1968
11
Ngukurr
29.4
30.0
in 1963
11


Record Lowest Daily Maximum Temperature for May to August 2006


Lowest daily maximum
temperature
(°C) 		Previous lowest Years of
record
Maningrida
22.0
on the 5th Jul
22.5
on the 20th May 1981
33


Record Lowest Mean Daily Minimum Temperature for May to August 2006


Mean daily minimum
temperature
(°C) 		Previous lowest Years of
record
Tindal RAAF AWS
12.4
12.6
in 2002
18
Lajamanu AWS
8.7
9.0
in 2002
10


Summaries

Summary statistics for August 2006


 Maximum temperatures
(°C)		 Minimum temperatures
(°C)		 Rainfall
(mm)
Mean Difference from normal Highest Mean Difference from normal Lowest Total Normal total
Ali Curung
 27.6 +0.4 33.1 8.7 −0.5 3.5 0 4
Alice Springs Airport
 24.5 +2.0 31.3 5.6 −0.4 0.8 4 10
Alyangula Police
 28.6 −0.5 31.4 17.2 −0.9 13.3 0 1
Arltunga
 23.8
30.6 4.3
−2.5 1 7
Batchelor Aero AWS
32.5
36.0 15.5
10.3 0
Black Point
 30.2 −0.1 32.1 21.0 −0.4 18.7 0 2
Borroloola AWS
30.9 −0.7 34.9 11.5 −2.2 6.4 0
Brunette Downs
 29.9 +0.4 33.9 11.4 −1.1 7.0 0 1
Centre Island AWS
27.8 0 31.3 19.0 −0.5 17.0 1 2
Channel Point
 29.3 −0.3 34.9 17.3 −1.0 11.0 0 7
Curtin Springs
 25.5 +2.7 32.6 5.9 +0.4 1.0 0 8
Daly Waters AWS
 31.5 +0.6 35.6 9.8 −3.4 5.6 0 0
Darwin Airport
 31.4 +0.1 34.8 18.9 −1.6 16.2 0 6
Delamere Weapons Range AWS
 30.7
35.0 14.2
9.0 0
Douglas River
 32.8 −0.7 36.9 12.8 −1.5 7.0 0 1
Gove Airport
 28.0 −0.5 30.3 18.2 −1.0 12.1 7 5
Jabiru Airport AWS
 32.8 −1.0 36.2 19.0 −0.1 13.9 0 4
Jervois
 26.1 +1.1 32.8 7.9 +1.0 1.4 0 9
Katherine Aviation Museum
 30.9 −1.5 35.0 12.4 −2.4 6.9 0 1
Kidman Springs
 31.8 −1.1 35.7 11.8 −2.2 7.4 0 0
Kulgera
 24.4 +2.5 33.0 7.8 +1.0 1.8 0 10
Lajamanu AWS
 30.0 −0.1 35.0 9.4 −2.2 5.0 0 1
Larrimah

35.0

5.6 0 0
Mango Farm
 32.3 −1.2 35.6 14.0 −2.0 9.0 0 3
Maningrida
 30.5 −0.2 33.0 17.7 −0.1 13.0 0 0
McArthur River Mine

34.1

5.9 0 0
Ngukurr
 30.9 −1.0 34.4 15.9 −0.1 11.3 0 0
Papunya
 26.0
31.5 8.3
4.3 1 7
Pirlangimpi AWS
 31.3 −0.5 34.3 18.8 −0.2 15.5 0 8
Point Fawcett AWS
 29.9
33.0 16.6
11.9 0
Rabbit Flat
 29.4
33.9 7.2
1.5 0
Tennant Creek Airport
 27.6 +0.1 32.1 14.0 −0.5 9.5 0 2
Territory Grape Farm AWS
 25.9 +0.7 31.7 6.0 −1.2 1.3 0 5
Timber Creek
 32.3 −0.6 35.6 13.7 −2.4 9.8 0 0
Tindal RAAF AWS
 31.5 −0.5 35.4 12.1 −3.5 6.8 0 0
Victoria River Downs
 30.7 −1.2 34.9 10.3 −3.2 4.9 0 1
Warruwi AWS
 28.8 −0.4 31.4 21.4 −0.3 18.7 0 1
Watarrka
 26.0 +1.6 32.5 9.7 +1.3 2.5 0 5
Wave Hill
 30.5 −0.6 34.7 10.1 −2.8 2.4 0 1
Wollogorang
 30.2 −0.9 33.3 10.2 −1.9 5.4 0 0
Yuendumu
 26.9 +1.9 32.2 7.7 −0.7 0.6 0 8
Yulara Aero AWS
25.0 +1.7 31.8 5.4 −0.5 1.1 0

Notes

This statement has been prepared based on information available at 10 am on Tuesday 5 September. Although every effort has been made to verify the data, it is possible that results will change as new information becomes available.

* denotes that one or more observations missing, or that the data is unconfirmed

Further information

The Daily Weather Observations lists daily temperatures and rainfall, plus many other meteorological variables, at more than 50 locations across the Territory (and over 700 across Australia). Data from the last 13 months are available from this web site.

Monthly rainfall and temperature maps are also available.

Further climate data and information can be obtained from:
Climate and Consultative Services
Northern Territory Regional Office
Bureau of Meteorology
Phone (08) 8920 3813
Email climate.nt@bom.gov.au