Monday, 2 November 2015 - Monthly Climate Summary for Northern Territory - Product code IDCKGC12R0

Northern Territory in October 2015: Very dry, mostly very warm

Rainfall was mostly well below average, Territory-wide. Daytime maximum temperatures were mostly much warmer than usual, particularly south of the Top End. Southern districts also experienced warmer than usual overnight minimum temperatures, while much of the north had cooler than usual minimum temperatures.

• Below-average rainfall for nearly all of Northern Territory
• Warmer than normal maximum temperatures for most parts
• Warmer than normal minimum temperatures in the south, cooler than usual over the Top End
• Record high maximum and minimum temperatures in parts of the south

Apart from a few localised regions in the far west of the Territory, October rainfall was below average. In the first three weeks of the month, there were only two notable events when widespread or heavy rainfall was observed. The first of these occurred on the 5^th and 6^th when coastal parts of the northwestern Top End saw falls in the 5-25 mm range. To 9 am on 9 October, the Port Keats (Wadeye) region received localised rainfall with daily totals of more than 20 mm. After the 23^rd rainfall events were more frequent, mostly in the far west of the Territory. The heaviest rainfall occurred on the 31^st when widespread falls over the western Top End, extending south to the Tanami District, produced falls of 5-50 mm. The peak rainfall during this event was 95.4 mm, at Nitmiluk Rangers station.

The Northern Territory had warmer than normal maximum temperatures over nearly all parts during October, particularly in the south. Southern parts of the Territory experienced much warmer than average maximum temperatures, with a significant proportion of the region experiencing record high mean daily maximum temperatures. Alice Springs Airport, for example, recorded its highest October mean daily maximum temperature on record, more than 4 °C above its monthly average. Much of the south also had above-average minimum temperatures, with some sites having their highest October mean daily minimum temperature on record. In contrast, the Top End had below-average overnight minimum temperatures, due to cooler-than-usual minimum temperatures during the first three weeks of the month.

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top

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

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top