Thursday, 1 October 2009 - Monthly Climate Summary for Northern Territory - Product code IDCKGC22R0

Northern Territory in September 2009
Warm and Windy

September was warmer than usual overall, with both maximum and minimum temperatures above the long-term average. Rainfall values were close to normal across the Territory, but wetter than usual in the northwest due to a wet start to the month. Severe thunderstorms and dust storms were observed in the Alice Springs District.

Darwin
Darwin had a wet start to September, with afternoon showers about from the 5th to the 12th. Overall, Darwin Airport recorded a total rainfall of 34.4 mm for the month, which is 20.6 mm above its long-term September mean. Darwin also experienced a warm September this year, with the mean maximum temperature of 33.4°C being 0.9°C greater than the long-term September mean, and the mean minimum temperature of 24.0°C being 1.0°C above the long-term September mean.

Alice Springs
Alice Springs Airport recorded a total rainfall of 6.0 mm for September, which is 2.1 mm below its long-term mean. These rain events were due to shower and thunderstorm activity ahead of troughs over WA. It was quite windy ahead of one of these troughs on the 15th and 16th, with a maximum wind gust of 81km/h recorded on the 16th. Alice Springs was much warmer than normal this September, with a mean maximum temperature of 29.7°C being 2.5°C greater than climatology, and a mean minimum temperature of 14.2°C being 3.9°C above climatology!

An archive of previous monthly summaries for Northern Territory is also available, as are summaries for other states and many other climate summaries and diagnostics.

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Rainfall

The northwest Darwin-Daly District experienced a wet start to the month, with afternoon showers about from the 5th to the 12th, and a few isolated storms. The highest rainfall amount recorded within this period was 62 mm at Elizabeth Valley on the 8th.

Thundery showers were about in the southwest Alice Springs District on the 14th, 15th and 16th ahead of a trough over Western Australia. No rainfall was recorded in any rain gauges on the 14th or 15th, but Watarrka recorded 0.8 mm of rain on the 16th. More showers and thunderstorms were about on the 17th, 18th and 19th ahead of another trough over WA, with widespread falls recorded at several stations.

Some areas of the northern Darwin-Daly, western Arnhem and southern Alice Springs districts had slightly more rainfall than usual for the month of September. The rest of the Territory was just under the long-term September average.

The average rainfall over the whole of the Territory was 3.7 mm which is 3.2 mm less than the long-term average of 6.9 mm.

The wettest overall was 86.6 mm at Noonamah AWS, followed by 84.8 mm at Elizabeth Valley, and then by 66.4 mm at Darwin River Ridge.

Some sites had their highest total September rainfall on record.

The wettest single days were all on the 8th with 62.2 mm at Elizabeth Valley, followed by 61.2 mm at Noonamah AWS, and then by 39.8 mm at Humpty Doo Fire Station.

Some sites had their highest September daily rainfall on record.

Maximum temperature

All stations across the Territory recorded mean maximum temperatures warmer than their long-term mean for September, with several stations recording their warmest September on record. Stations across the Territory recorded maximum temperatures of between 1 to 3°C greater than climatology, with areas in the southwest recording maximum temperatures of around 3 to 4°C above climatology.

The area-averaged maximum temperature was 33.6°C, which was 2.2°C warmer than the long-term average of 31.4°C.

The hottest days were all on the 23rd, with 41.5°C at Bradshaw AWS, followed by 41.1°C at Port Keats Aero, and then by 40.6°C at Mango Farm.

The warmest days on average were 38.3°C at Bradshaw AWS, followed by 38.2°C at Douglas River, and then by 38.1°C at Timber Creek.

The coolest days on average were 27.5°C at Kulgera, followed by 29.6°C at Arltunga, and then by 29.7°C at Alice Springs Airport.

The coldest day was 18.8°C at Kulgera on the 26th, followed by 20.2°C at Alice Springs Airport on the 26th, and then by 20.4°C at Kulgera on the 27th.

Some sites had their highest September temperature on record.

Some sites had their highest September mean daily maximum temperature on record.

 

Minimum temperature

Average minimum temperatures have been much warmer than usual across the Territory this month, apart from a small area in the eastern Roper-McArthur District. Almost all stations recorded mean minimum temperatures of 1 to 3°C above climatology, with some sites in the south recording mean minimums of up to 5°C warmer than the long-term average. Some sites had their warmest September minimums on record.
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The area-averaged minimum temperature was 18.0°C, which was 2.1°C above the long-term average of 15.9°C.

The coldest night was 3.0°C at Curtin Springs on the 11th, followed by 3.1°C at Yulara Aero AWS on the 8th, and then by 3.2°C at Arltunga on the 9th and on the 28th.

The coolest nights on average were 11.8°C at Yulara Aero AWS, followed by 12.3°C at Curtin Springs, and then by 12.3°C at Kulgera.

The warmest nights on average were 25.0°C at Warruwi AWS.

The warmest night was 28.5°C at Kidman Springs on the 22nd, followed by 28.0°C at Kidman Springs on the 6th and 26th, and then by 27.9°C at Dum In Mirrie AWS on the 23rd.

Some sites had their warmest September night (highest daily minimum temperature) on record.

Some sites had their highest September mean daily minimum temperature on record.

 

Wind

The strongest wind gust was 117 km/h at Yulara Aero AWS on the 16th, followed by 81 km/h at Alice Springs Airport on the 16th, and then by 80 km/h at Yulara Aero AWS on the 2nd.

 

Other phenomena

Severe Thunderstorms

Severe thunderstorms were observed on radar in the Alice Springs District from the 16th to the 19th ahead of a trough over WA. On the 16th, these storms were observed near Yulara and Curtin Springs, with a 117km/h wind gust recorded at Yulara AWS and a dust storm reported. Wind gusts were estimated to 111km/h at Curtin Springs, with large trees uprooted, and a very thick dust storm reported. Several other severe thunderstorms were observed on radar, in the northeast Alice Springs District on the 17th, and in the southern Alice Springs District on the 18th and 19th. A 117km/h was recorded at Oodnadatta (in South Australia) on the 19th.

Dust Storms

On the 21st a dust storm was reported at Kulgera ahead of a strong cold front moving in from the west. This cold front brought fresh to strong and gusty westerlies over the Alice Springs District on the 22nd with more areas of raised dust. This front continued east through NSW and Queensland, with dust reducing visibility across NSW and southern QLD on the 23rd. This dust eventually reached the north Island of New Zealand on the 24th, after the front carried this dust across the Tasman Sea.

 

Further information

NT Climate Services Centre
Bureau of Meteorology
Phone (08) 8920 3813
Email climate.nt@bom.gov.au

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Extremes

Hottest day Highest temperature	41.5°C at Bradshaw AWS on the 23rd *
Warmest days on average Highest mean daily maximum temperature	38.3°C at Bradshaw AWS *
Coolest days on average Lowest mean daily maximum temperature	27.5°C at Kulgera
Coldest day Lowest daily maximum temperature	18.8°C at Kulgera on the 26th
Coldest night Lowest temperature	3.0°C at Curtin Springs on the 11th
Coolest nights on average Lowest mean daily minimum temperature	11.8°C at Yulara Aero AWS
Warmest nights on average Highest mean daily minimum temperature	25.0°C at Warruwi AWS
Warmest night Highest daily minimum temperature	28.5°C at Kidman Springs on the 22nd
Wettest overall Highest total rainfall	86.6 mm at Noonamah AWS
Wettest day Highest daily rainfall	62.2 mm at Elizabeth Valley on the 8th
Highest wind gust	117 km/h at Yulara Aero AWS on the 16th

* Bradshaw AWS recorded the highest September temperature for the Northern Territory and its hottest September temperature to date, but is not included in the Records Table due to its short climate record of 8 years.

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Records

Record highest September daily rainfall
	Highest daily rainfall (mm)		Previous highest		Years of record
Palm Valley	19.0	on the 17th	18.2	on the 1st in 1997	26
Elizabeth Valley	62.2	on the 8th	53.0	on the 29th in 1986	23
Karama	35.0	on the 8th	17.7	on the 29th in 2007	21

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Record highest total September rainfall
	Total rainfall (mm)	Previous highest		Years of record
Elizabeth Valley	84.8	53.0	in 1986	23
Batchelor Aero AWS	26.6	14.0	in 1999	12

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Record highest September temperature
	Highest temperature (°C)		Previous highest		Years of record
Mango Farm	40.6	on the 23rd	40.5	on the 27th in 1997	28
Black Point	34.7	on the 25th	34.4	on the 25th in 2008	17
Lajamanu AWS	40.3	on the 21st	40.0	on the 30th in 2005	14
Groote Eylandt Airport AWS	36.4	on the 25th	36.0	on the 23rd in 2007	10

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Record highest September mean daily maximum temperature
	Mean daily maximum temperature (°C)	Previous highest		Years of record
Jabiru Airport AWS	37.5	37.4	in 2008	31
Mango Farm	37.8	37.5	in 1997	28
Timber Creek	38.1	37.7	in 2005	28
Pirlangimpi AWS	34.6	33.9	in 2008	24
Douglas River	38.2	37.6	in 1997	18
Borroloola AWS	35.9	35.8	in 1997	13
Channel Point	31.8	31.3	in 2004	11
Delamere Weapons Range AWS	36.7	36.4	in 2005	12
Point Fawcett	32.7	32.6	in 1998	11
Dum In Mirrie AWS	32.1	32.0	in 2004	10
Groote Eylandt Airport AWS	33.3	33.2	in 2001	10

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Record highest September daily minimum temperature
	Highest daily minimum temperature (°C)		Previous highest		Years of record
Darwin Airport	27.2	on the 22nd	26.7	on the 27th in 1998	68
Alice Springs Airport	27.4	on the 21st	26.0	on the 24th in 1971	67
Curtin Springs	22.4	on the 21st	= 22.4	on the 28th in 2006	44
Mango Farm	25.6	on the 24th	24.5	on the 16th in 1998	28
Territory Grape Farm AWS	26.2	on the 21st	24.0	on the 23rd in 2003	16
Lajamanu AWS	27.5	on the 21st	27.2	on the 24th in 1971	14
Channel Point	27.0	on the 22nd	26.7	on the 30th in 1996	12
Batchelor Aero AWS	24.9	on the 24th	24.2	on the 29th in 1997	12
Kidman Springs	28.5	on the 22nd	28.2	on the 20th in 2008	13
Point Fawcett	27.7	on the 23rd	26.9	on the 23rd in 2003	11
Dum In Mirrie AWS	27.9	on the 23rd	27.0	on the 25th in 2003	10

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Record highest September mean daily minimum temperature
	Mean daily minimum temperature (°C)	Previous highest		Years of record
Alice Springs Airport	14.2	13.7	in 1996	67
Jervois	14.4	= 14.4	in 1997	41
Channel Point	23.5	22.9	in 2005	14
Batchelor Aero AWS	22.5	21.9	in 1992	13
Dum In Mirrie AWS	24.7	24.2	in 2005	10
McCluer Island AWS	25.4	25.2	in 2000	10

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Summaries

This table is very wide and may not fit if printed.

Summary statistics for September 2009
	Maximum temperatures (°C)				Minimum temperatures (°C)				Rainfall (mm)
	Mean	Diff from average	Highest		Mean	Diff from average	Lowest		Total	Rank	Fraction
Darwin-Daly (district 14GA)
Batchelor Aero AWS	36.6	+0.6	38.0	23rd	22.5	+2.1	16.6	29th	26.6	highest	719%
Black Point	32.4	+0.9	34.7	25th	24.1	+1.2	21.4	29th	2.1	very high	233%
Bradshaw AWS	38.3	+1.3	41.5	23rd	23.4	+1.6	18.2	8th	0
Cape Don AWS	31.6		33.4	28th	24.9		23.5	3rd	0	lowest	0%
Central Arnhem Plateau AWS	34.5		36.2	7th	20.4		13.4	29th	23.8
Channel Point	31.8	+0.9	35.0	28th	23.5	+2.1	17.9	29th	0.6	average	11%
Darwin Airport	33.4	+0.9	35.2	24th	24.0	+1.0	22.0	8th	34.4	high	236%
Delamere Weapons Range AWS	36.7	+1.2	39.8	23rd	21.5	+0.8	15.6	30th	0.4	average	10%
Douglas River	38.2	+1.7	40.4	23rd	21.1	+2.6	14.5	29th	0	lowest	0%
Dum In Mirrie AWS	32.1	+0.7	33.5	16th	24.7	+1.8	21.4	29th	31.6	very high	343%
Jabiru Airport AWS	37.5	+1.4	38.7	26th	23.0	+1.5	20.1	29th	24.2	high	384%
Katherine Aviation Museum	36.7	+0.9	39.0	23rd	21.5	+1.5	14.0	29th	0.2	average	3%
Mango Farm	37.8	+1.6	40.6	23rd	20.3	+1.0	16.7	29th	0.5	average	6%
McCluer Island AWS	29.7	+0.6	31.3	23rd	25.4	+0.8	23.8	1st	1.6	very high	800%
Middle Point AWS	37.2		38.4	15th	21.0		18.0	19th	35.8
Noonamah AWS	37.2		39.1	1st	22.1		19.0	19th	86.6
Pine Creek Council	36.4		38.4	23rd	22.9		18.4	29th	6.8
Pirlangimpi AWS	34.6	+1.7	36.3	25th	22.9	+1.7	21.0	2nd	24.8	average	87%
Point Fawcett AWS	32.7	+0.8	34.4	27th	22.0	+0.6	18.2	19th	0.4	average	7%
Tindal RAAF AWS	37.0	+1.4	39.5	23rd	22.2	+2.2	17.3	29th	1.2	average	16%
Arnhem (district 14BC)
Alyangula Police	31.4	+0.2	33.0	24th	21.5	+1.3	18.4	29th	0.3	average	8%
Gove Airport	30.9	+0.7	32.5	24th	20.4	+0.8	17.8	18th	0	lowest	0%
Groote Eylandt Airport AWS	33.3	+0.7	36.4	25th	18.4	+0.9	14.4	12th	0.2	low	11%
Maningrida Aero AWS	32.5		36.2	27th	21.6		17.4	29th	0
Milingimbi AWS	32.4		35.7	28th	22.2		19.0	29th	0
Ngayawili AWS	32.6		34.4	28th	21.4		19.7	1st	0.2
Warruwi AWS	31.5	+0.7	33.8	29th	25.0	+1.5	23.4	1st	0.2	high	22%
Roper-Mcarthur (district 14DE)
Borroloola AWS	35.9	+1.0	39.2	26th	18.2	+0.6	13.4	29th	0	lowest	0%
Daly Waters AWS	36.5	+2.0	39.3	22nd	17.8	+0.7	7.9	29th	0	lowest	0%
Larrimah	36.4	+1.3	38.5	22nd	19.4	+1.0	10.5	29th	0	lowest	0%
McArthur River Mine	36.8	+1.6	39.3	26th	19.3	+2.3	13.7	30th	0.2	average	4%
Wollogorang	35.2	+0.9	37.9	25th	16.0	+0.2	9.3	29th	0	lowest	0%
Victoria (district 14F)
Kidman Springs	37.7	+1.0	40.0	23rd			13.9	30th	0	lowest	0%
Timber Creek	38.1	+1.7	39.8	22nd	20.9	+0.3	14.8	8th	0	lowest	0%
Victoria River Downs	37.7	+2.2	39.8	22nd	19.0	+0.8	11.7	29th	0	lowest	0%
Wave Hill	36.7	+1.6	39.0	22nd	20.1	+2.2	11.4	29th	0	lowest	0%
Barkly (district 15A)
Elliott	36.4	+1.1	40.0	22nd	18.0	+0.6	9.5	29th	0	lowest	0%
Tennant Creek Airport	33.5	+1.9	38.6	22nd	19.5	+1.1	13.6	27th	5.8	average	72%
Alice Springs (district 15B)
Alice Springs Airport	29.7	+2.5	37.4	21st	14.2	+3.9	4.0	28th	6.0	average	74%
Arltunga	29.6		36.2	20th	12.5		3.2	9th	2.4	average	44%
Curtin Springs	29.7	+2.0	36.8	20th	12.3	+2.4	3.0	11th	14.2	high	161%
Jervois	31.4	+1.6	39.2	21st	14.4	+3.2	4.8	9th	0.6	average	10%
Kulgera	27.5	+0.5	36.2	16th	12.3	+1.1	3.5	27th	15.8	high	103%
Rabbit Flat	36.2	+1.7	40.1	20th	16.7	+2.2	7.2	25th	0	lowest	0%
Territory Grape Farm AWS	31.3	+0.8	37.1	20th	13.1	+0.9	4.7	28th	2.2	average	27%
Watarrka	30.3	+0.6	35.4	21st	13.6	+0.3	3.4	9th	10.2	high	140%
Yuendumu	32.1	+2.6	37.2	20th	15.6	+2.6	8.6	10th	2.9	average	34%
Yulara Aero AWS	29.9	+1.1	35.9	19th	11.8	+1.1	3.1	8th	6.8	high	121%

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Notes

Further information

NT Climate Services Centre
Bureau of Meteorology
Phone (08) 8920 3813
Email climate.nt@bom.gov.au

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