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

Northern Territory in October 2013: Top End thunderstomrs and heat in the Centre

• Records:
• 4 new daily maximum temperature records
  • Alice Springs Airport sees Hottest October Day on record
• 2 daily rainfall records set and 3 monthly total rainfall records set
  • Geriatric Park sees triple their October average rainfall
• Temperatures (NT Average):
• Mean - 1.22 °C above average and highest in five years
• Maximum (daytime) - 8th highest on record
• Minimum (overnight) - 0.69 °C above average and highest in five years
• Rainfall:
• Record setting rainfall event over northwest Top End on the 23rd
• Extremes:
• Hottest day was 39.7 °C at Timber Creek on the 20th
• Coldest night was -1.6 °C at Arltunga on the 4th

 

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top

Thunderstorms return to the western Top End

October marks the first month of the wet season and is often characterized by occasional isolated afternoon thunderstorms. This month these storms occurred mostly over the western Top End and were associated with heavy rainfall and strong winds. Places like Port Keats Aero and Geriatric Park near Dundee Beach saw record high rainfall, this month, as some storms moved over these locations. Strong, and at times damaging winds were were measured with a few storms early in the month. On the 3rd a series of thunder storms moved over the western Top End as Central Arnhem Plateau measured a wind gust of 89 km/h, the strongest recorded in the NT this month. There were a series of reports of damage from these winds on the 3rd.

Alice Springs Hot Days

Alice Springs Airport is on track to record its hottest calendar year on record, and October was no exception to the string of really hot months. The mean daily maximum temperature for October at Alice Springs was 32.6 °C, 1.7 °C above normal. Alice Springs Airport exceeded 40 °C on three days this month, this is another first for Alice Springs (2002 was the first October to break 40 °C on twice in the same month). Alice Springs Airport also set a new record for highest October daily maximum temperature with 42.6 °C on the 10th, the previous record 41.7 °C set on 24 October last year.

Rainfall

There were a few rainfall events over the western Top End, this month, bringing high rainfall totals and breaking some rainfall records at some locations. The wettest single day was at Geriatric Park with 127.2 mm on the 28th (their highest October daily rainfall on record), followed by Darwin Botanic Gardens with 67.8 mm on the 24th, followed by Stokes Hill with 63.0 mm on the 24th. When summed over the whole month, the wettest overall was Geriatric Park with 273.0 mm, followed by Darwin Bowls Club with 174.4 mm, followed by Shoal Bay with 161.4 mm. Darwin Airport finished the month with 98.2 mm, which is 27.6 mm above the long-term average.

When averaged across the NT the mean rainfall was 7.11 mm. This is 11.72 mm (62.2%) below the long term average. The Top End saw a strong rainfall gradient from west to east, this month. With places in the west, such as Port Keats Aero setting a new October total rainfall record while Gove Airport in the eastern Top End did not receive any rain this month. The Alice Springs District also saw little-to-no rainfall this month. Alice Springs Airport ended the month with 0.0 mm, the driest October since 2009.

Temperature

When averaged across the Northern Territory the monthly mean temperature (average of daily maximum and daily minimum) was 28.55 °C, which is 1.22 °C above normal for October and the hottest since 2008. High maximum temperatures were the strongest contributor to the mean temperature anomaly this month. A lack of cloud cover and persistent high pressure are two factors that contributed to the high temperatures.

The warmest on average was Bradshaw with 32.7 °C, followed by Katherine Country Club with 32.1 °C, and then Timber Creek with 32.0 °C. The coolest on average was Arltunga with 22.4 °C, followed by Kulgera with 22.8 °C, and then Alice Springs Airport with 23.2 °C.

Maximum temperature

The mean daily maximum temperatures were above average for all of the NT with most of the Barkley and Arnhem Land seeing close to record maximum temperatures this month. When averaged across the Territory, the average mean daily maximum temperature was 36.26 °C, which is the 8th highest on record and 1.73 °C above average

Early in the month saw a spell of hot weather in the Alice Springs District. The hottest single day in the Territory was at Rabbit Flat with 43.3 °C on the 10th, followed by Lajamanu with 42.6 °C on the 9th, and Alice Springs Airport also with 42.6 °C on the 10th, which is their highest October temperature on record at Alice Springs. Bradshaw and Timber Creek both had 42.5 °C on the 9th.

The warmest days on average were at Bradshaw with 40.0 °C, followed by Victoria River Downs with 39.9 °C, followed by Timber Creek with 39.8 °C. The coolest days on average were at McCluer Island with 30.8 °C, followed by Kulgera with 31.3 °C, and then Arltunga with 32.0 °C. Lajamanu was among the sites had their highest October mean daily maximum temperature on record.

The lowest daily maximum temperature was at Kulgera with 23.3 °C on the 14th, followed by Arltunga with 23.6 °C on the 14th, and then Kulgera again with 23.8 °C on the 13th, and Alice Springs Airport also with 23.8 °C on the 23rd.

Minimum temperature

Minimum temperatures were generally above average across the northern half of the NT while near average to below average in the Alice Springs District. When averaged across the NT the mean daily maximum temperature for October was 28.8 °C, highest since 2008 and 0.69 C above average. The warmest night was at Wave Hill with 30.2 °C on the 10th, followed by Rabbit Flat with 28.9 °C on the 11th, followed by Delamere Weapons Range with 28.6 °C on the 10th. This was a new record for the highest daily minimum temperature for October at Wave Hill and Delamere.

The warmest nights on average were at McCluer Island with 26.6 °C, followed by Cape Don with 26.4 °C, followed by Darwin Harbour with 26.1 °C.

There were no new low minimum temperature records set for October this year. The coldest night in the NT was at Arltunga with 4.7 °C on the 5th, and again at Arltunga with 5.4 °C on the 16th, followed by Alice Springs Airport with 6.0 °C on the 4th.

The coolest nights on average were at Arltunga with 13.1 °C, followed by Alice Springs Airport with 13.9 °C, and then Curtin Springs and Kulgera both with 14.8 °C.

Wind

There were several strong wind events in the Northern Territory, this month. Most were associated with thunderstorm activity across the western Top End. The strongest wind gust was at Central Arnhem Plateau with 89 km/h on the 3rd, followed by Lajamanu with 78 km/h on the 17th, followed by Douglas River with 76 km/h on the 19th, and then Douglas River which recorded a wind gust of 76 km/h on the 19th, 20th and 27th.

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Extremes in October 2013
Hottest day	43.3 °C at Rabbit Flat on the 10th
Warmest days on average	40.0 °C at Bradshaw
Coolest days on average	30.8 °C at McCluer Island
Coldest day	23.3 °C at Kulgera on the 14th
Coldest night	4.7 °C at Arltunga on the 5th
Coolest nights on average	13.1 °C at Arltunga
Warmest nights on average	26.6 °C at McCluer Island
Warmest night	30.2 °C at Wave Hill on the 10th
Warmest on average overall	32.7 °C at Bradshaw
Coolest on average overall	22.4 °C at Arltunga
Wettest overall	273.0 mm at Geriatric Park
Wettest day	127.2 mm at Geriatric Park on the 28th
Highest wind gust	89 km/h at Central Arnhem Plateau on the 3rd

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top

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

Click on a map to show it full size in a pop-up window

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Record highest October daily rainfall
	Highest daily rainfall in October 2013 (mm)		Previous wettest for October		Years of record
Stokes Hill	63.0	on the 24th	53.8	on the 15th in 2008	24
Geriatric Park	127.2	on the 28th	93.2	on the 22nd in 1998	17
Ngayawili	22.8	on the 15th	18.0	on the 8th in 2003	15

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Record highest total October rainfall
	Total rainfall for October 2013 (mm)	Previous wettest for October		Years of record	Average for October
Geriatric Park	273.0	194.2	in 1999	17	85.9
Port Keats Aero	143.2	132.6	in 2010	14	45.9

Highest total October rainfall for at least 10 years
	Total rainfall for October 2013 (mm)	Most recent October at least this wet		Years since wetter	Average for October
Darwin Botanic Gardens	153.4	180.1	in 1992*	20	66.1
Stokes Hill	158.4	262.9	in 1978*	16	64.5
Tipperary	64.5	85.8	in 2000*	10	45.0

* note: there are gaps in the historical record at this site, so it is possible a higher value has gone unreported.

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Record highest October temperature
	Highest temperature in October 2013 (°C)		Previous warmest for October		Years of record	Average for October
Alice Springs Airport	42.6	on the 10th	41.7	on the 24th in 2012	72	30.9
Mango Farm	41.5	on the 9th	= 41.5	on the 4th in 2003	33	37.4
Pirlangimpi	37.7	on the 10th	= 37.7	on the 22nd in 2008	30	33.4
Point Fawcett	36.3	on the 26th	= 36.3	on the 17th in 2009	16	32.9

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Record highest October mean daily maximum temperature
	Mean daily maximum temperature for October 2013 (°C)	Previous warmest for October		Years of record	Average for October
Pirlangimpi	35.0	34.9	in 2008	29	33.4
Lajamanu	39.4	39.2	in 2002	20	37.1
Borroloola	38.3	= 38.3	in 2002	19	36.6

Highest October mean daily maximum temperature for at least 10 years
	Mean daily maximum temperature for October 2013 (°C)	Most recent October at least this warm		Years since warmer	Average for October
Victoria River Downs	39.9	40.4	in 1971	42	37.8
Brunette Downs	39.0	39.4	in 1988	25	36.7
Centre Island	34.3	34.4	in 1988*	24	33.0
Tindal RAAF	39.3	39.4	in 1988*	22	37.5
Daly Waters	39.6	40.0	in 2002	11	37.2
Delamere Weapons Range	39.0	39.4	in 2002	11	37.3
Jabiru Airport	38.9	39.1	in 2002	11	37.6
Mango Farm	38.8	39.0	in 2002	11	37.4
McArthur River Mine	39.4	39.6	in 2002	11	37.8
Wollogorang	38.4	38.8	in 2002	11	36.6

* note: there are gaps in the historical record at this site, so it is possible a higher value has gone unreported.

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Record highest October daily minimum temperature
	Highest daily minimum temperature in October 2013 (°C)		Previous warmest for October		Years of record	Average for October
Wave Hill	30.2	on the 10th	30.0	on the 13th in 1998	40	21.6
Delamere Weapons Range	28.6	on the 10th	28.0	on the 30th in 2005	17	23.8

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top

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Summary statistics for October 2013
	Maximum temperatures for October (°C)				Minimum temperatures for October (°C)				Rainfall for October (millimetres)
	Mean for October 2013	Diff from average	Highest for October 2013		Mean for October 2013	Diff from average	Lowest for October 2013		Total for October 2013	Average for October	Rank of October 2013	Fraction of October average
Darwin-Daly (district 14GA)
Batchelor Aero	36.6	-0.1	38.9	10th	23.2	+0.2	21.1	2nd	64.0	68.3	average	94%
Black Point	33.2	+0.5	35.1	18th	24.6	0.0	22.1	6th	7.8	12.3	average	63%
Bradshaw	40.0	+1.3	42.5	9th	25.5	+0.7	19.5	5th	48.2	25.9	high	186%
Cape Don	34.5		36.6	30th	26.4		23.3	15th	23.6	26.4	average	89%
Central Arnhem Plateau	37.4		39.4	26th	22.7		18.0	1st	0.4	35.3	low	1%
Croker Island Airport	34.0		36.4	5th	24.9		23.2	5th	0.2
Darwin Airport	34.0	+0.8	36.6	10th	24.7	-0.2	20.5	26th	98.2	70.6	high	139%
Darwin NTC	32.7		35.3	10th	26.1		20.6	4th
Delamere Weapons Range	39.0	+1.7	41.3	9th	24.9	+1.1	18.2	5th	18.2	33.0	average	55%
Douglas River	39.0	+1.5	41.2	9th	22.8	+0.5	17.3	5th	57.0	37.8	high	151%
Dum In Mirrie	32.9	+0.2	35.1	16th	25.0	-0.6	21.9	19th	110.4	70.0	average	158%
Gunn Point	33.6		37.0	10th	23.2		20.9	2nd	80.2
Jabiru Airport	38.9	+1.3	40.5	19th	24.4	+0.5	22.3	2nd	1.8	40.2	low	4%
Katherine Country Club	39.3		41.5	9th	24.9		18.9	5th	14.4
Mango Farm	38.8	+1.4	41.5	9th	22.0	-0.2	17.5	5th	41.0	44.2	average	93%
McCluer Island	30.8	+0.2	32.3	16th	26.6	+0.5	24.7	5th	0	7.7	lowest	0%
Middle Point	38.1	+0.9	40.3	9th	22.2	+0.1	19.5	11th	41.2	49.4	average	83%
Murganella Airstrip	34.5		37.8	9th	22.3		18.1	5th	14.0
Noonamah (Mkt)	36.6		38.6	10th	23.6		20.9	2nd	85.2
Oenpelli Airport	38.2		39.9	25th	22.7		19.8	1st	55.4
Pirlangimpi	35.0	+1.6	37.7	10th	23.5	+0.5	21.8	2nd	129.6	83.0	average	156%
Point Fawcett	33.3	+0.4	36.3	26th	23.3	-0.5	20.4	2nd	86.2	68.5	average	126%
Point Stuart	34.9		36.2	10th	24.6		22.6	2nd	0.8	49.3	low	2%
Port Keats Aero	34.5	+0.1	36.9	10th	24.5	+0.5	22.1	5th	143.2	45.9	highest	312%
Tindal RAAF	39.3	+1.8	41.1	26th	24.3	+0.2	18.4	5th	5.6	34.9	average	16%
Arnhem (district 14BC)
Cape Wessel	33.1		34.1	19th	25.4		23.2	3rd	2.2	13.0	average	17%
Gove Airport	32.6	+0.9	34.8	25th	21.2	-0.4	17.5	5th	0	11.1	lowest	0%
Groote Eylandt Airport	34.3	+0.1	36.3	25th	21.2	+0.1	14.2	5th	25.2	27.7	average	91%
Maningrida Aero	33.5	+0.4	36.0	4th	23.3	+0.3	20.6	5th	11.0	14.7	average	75%
Milingimbi	33.1	+0.3	36.0	25th	23.9	+0.3	19.9	5th	13.0	11.0	average	118%
Ngayawili	33.3	+0.7	35.4	15th	22.2	-0.5	18.7	5th	23.0	9.4	high	245%
North East Island	32.6		33.6	10th	24.8		21.6	27th	30.0	7.0	high	429%
Warruwi	32.9	+0.4	36.0	9th	25.8	+0.5	23.6	5th	46.4	12.2	v high	380%
Roper-Mcarthur (district 14DE)
Borroloola	38.3	+1.7	41.3	25th	21.7	+0.2	15.6	5th	0.8	14.9	average	5%
Centre Island	34.3	+1.3	37.0	8th	25.6	+0.7	23.1	5th	0	8.3	lowest	0%
Daly Waters	39.6	+2.4	41.4	9th	21.6	+0.5	12.8	4th	3.4	22.9	average	15%
McArthur River Mine	39.4	+1.6	41.8	8th	23.4	+2.3	15.9	5th	4.4	20.3	average	22%
Ngukurr	39.4		41.3	8th	22.8		16.5	5th	2.4
Wollogorang	38.4	+1.8	41.7	9th	21.3	+1.5	13.2	5th	4.2	25.9	average	16%
Victoria (district 14F)
Lajamanu	39.4	+2.3	42.6	9th	21.8	+1.4	12.1	5th	0	20.3	lowest	0%
Timber Creek	39.8	+1.5	42.5	9th	24.3	+0.3	14.6	6th	55.8	29.0	high	192%
Victoria River Downs	39.9	+2.1	42.4	22nd	23.7	+1.4	14.5	6th	6.8	19.4	average	35%
Wave Hill	39.4	+1.8	42.0	9th	23.6	+2.0	18.6	17th	14.8	28.9	average	51%
Barkly (district 15A)
Brunette Downs	39.0	+2.3	41.9	13th	22.8	+2.2	15.1	8th	0.4	15.4	average	3%
Tennant Creek Airport	36.7	+2.0	40.9	10th	22.8	+1.1	17.9	4th	9.0	20.3	average	44%
Alice Springs (district 15B)
Alice Springs Airport	32.6	+1.7	42.6	10th	13.9	-0.9	6.0	4th	0	21.1	lowest	0%
Arltunga	32.0	+1.1	40.2	21st	13.1	-1.5	4.7	5th	0	22.1	lowest	0%
Curtin Springs	33.9	+2.3	42.0	20th	14.8	+0.5	9.0	15th	1.0	18.8	average	5%
Kulgera	31.3	+1.1	40.5	20th	14.8	-0.1	9.1	4th	0.4	21.6	low	2%
Rabbit Flat	38.9	+1.9	43.3	10th	18.8	+0.3	8.6	5th	1.0	21.4	low	5%
Territory Grape Farm	35.1	+2.0	40.7	10th	16.0	+0.4	8.2	4th	0	15.9	lowest	0%
Walungurru	36.9	+1.2	41.8	20th	21.1	+0.4	17.7	14th	6.2	18.8	average	33%
Yulara Aero	34.0	+2.0	41.4	9th	14.9	+0.1	9.1	5th	0	22.3	lowest	0%

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top

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