Friday, 1 February 2013 - Monthly Climate Summary for Northern Territory - Product code IDCKGC22R0

Northern Territory in January 2013: Hottest January on Record

• NT January average maximum temperature is hottest on record
• Dry conditions continue across the Territory

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top

An exceptional heat wave in early January

A heat wave early in January was exceptional in its extent and duration affecting most of Australia. In the southern NT, Alice Springs broke the record for the longest streak of days above 40 °C. From the 1st to the 17th inclusive, daytime temperatures at the Alice Springs airport rose over the 40 °C mark, surpassing the previous record streak of 12 days over 40 °C set in 2006. Although Alice Springs failed to break the record of the hottest January day set in 1960 with 45.2 °C, it manage to break the January mean maximum temperature record with 40.1 °C. This is 0.1 degrees warmer than the previous record of 40.0 °C set in January 2006. To the south of Alice Springs, Yulara Aero managed to surpass the 44.0 °C mark 10 days in a row (4th to the 13th inclusive), breaking their previous record streak of days above 44.0 °C of four days set in 1998.

Hottest January on record for the NT

The Northern Territory (as well as the entire country) had its hottest January on record for mean temperature, reaching 38.9 °C (both night-time and daytime temperatures combined) and also its highest mean maximum temperature on record with 32.0 °C, 2.6 °C above the norm. Both existing records for the NT were set in 1971. Across the territory, 13 stations recorded their hottest January on record for mean temperatures. Such records were driven primarily by really hot daytime temperatures, in which 12 out of the 13 stations recorded their highest mean maximum temperatures. Gove with a mean maximum temperature of 33.3 °C, Tindal with 36.7 °C and Yulara with 41.3 °C were among the stations that broke their January record. Darwin Airport's mean daytime temperature of 32.8 °C was the warmest January since 2002, when daytime temperatures averaged 33.1 °C.

With a maximum temperature of 46.4 °C on the 11th (amidst the heat wave that perdured in the first half of the month), Yulara Aero equaled its hottest January day on record set in 2011. This was 0.6 °C shy of the hottest day ever recorded in Yulara for any given month. Further north, Tennant Creek hit the 44.2 °C mark on the 25th, making it the hottest January day in 44 years worth of records.

Night-time temperatures were also hotter than average with a Territory mean average of 25.0 °C. Although this is only, 1.3 °C above the norm, 12 stations across the Territory managed to register their warmest January nights on record. On average, nights in January 2013 were the warmest since January 2008. Particularly warm, was the night preceding Australia Day in which Jabiru, Gove, Tindal, Batchelor and Middle Point recorded their warmest January night on record. Darwin Airport mean nighttime temperature of 25.8 °C was the warmest January since 2002. For Elliot with 24.9 °C and Borroloola with 25.5 °C, it was their warmest January nights since 1991 and 1998 respectively.

Driest January since 1994

The area-average rainfall for the Northern Territory was 66.4 mm, which is just over 55% of the January mean rainfall of 120.1 mm. The lack of monsoonal activity across the Top End and weak fontal systems across the south led to the driest January since 1994. During January, Tennant Creek only managed 11.2 mm of rain making it the driest January since 1985. Other sites like Groote Eylandt* (192.3 mm) and Elliot* (66.4 mm) had their driest January since 2001 and 1992 respectively.

Across the north, the 2012/2013 wet season continued with very little rainfall. Counting January, Darwin Airport had only received 518.4 mm since the start of the 2012/2013 wet season, making it the 5th driest on record to that point in the season (October to January). This is the driest October to January period for Darwin Airport since the 2006/2007 wet season. Most stations across the Top End remain in the bottom 20% for rainfall this season with Gove Airport picking up 169.6 mm, driest on record and Jabiru with 617.2 mm, their 4th driest since the season began last October.

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top

Maps
	Observed	Anomaly	Decile rank
Total rainfall
Mean daily maximum temperatures
Mean daily minimum temperatures

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Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top