Tuesday, 1 May 2018 - Monthly Climate Summary for Northern Territory - Product code IDCKGC12R0

Northern Territory in April 2018: exceptionally warm days

The Northern Territory had its second-warmest April on record in terms of daytime temperatures. Rainfall was generally confined to the Top End.

Record warm days

• Daytime temperatures were persistently warmer than average during April, especially over the west and south of the Northern Territory
• The 1st and 2nd of the month were exceptionally warm, with the Territory's mean maximum temperature ranking as the warmest and third-warmest April days on record
• Despite the widespread heat, only a few individual sites set a new record for highest April temperature
• Curtin Springs had an April record of 13 consecutive days of 32 °C from the 1st to the 13th, whilst Yulara Airport was over 30 °C every day from the 1st to the 25th
• Several locations had their highest April mean daily maximum temperature on record
• The mean daily maximum temperature for the whole of the NT was 3.24 °C above the April average, just 0.02 °C cooler than the record April in 2005
• The persistent late-season heat was part of a period of April warmth affecting much of Australia described in a Special Climate Statement Persistent summer-like heat sets many April records
• Overnight minimum temperatures were 1.44 °C above average for the NT as a whole, the seventh-warmest April on record, although Yulara was the only site to set a new record
• Cool nights became dominant in the final week of the month as dry season conditions set in

Rainfall mostly confined to the Top End

• As is typical for the last month of the wet season, much of the Territory received little or no rain during April
• There were some moderate falls across the Top End, but only a few sites (in the Daly, Tiwi and coastal Arnhem districts) received more than 50 mm for the month
• The 18th to the 20th brought a burst of showers and storms over the Top End, but after that there was almost no rain recorded anywhere in the NT
• Total rainfall for the Northern Territory was about 64% below the April average

Darwin Airport

• Total rainfall for Darwin Airport was 43.2 mm, which is 43% of the long-term average of 100.8 mm
• The mean daily maximum temperature for Darwin Airport was 33.8 °C, which is 1.1 °C above the long-term average of 32.7 °C. The warmest day was 35.2 °C on the 16th, and the coolest day was on the 27th when the temperature reached 32.5 °C
• The mean daily minimum temperature for Darwin Airport was 24.1 °C, which is 0.1 °C above the long-term average of 24.0 °C. The coldest morning was 20.7 °C on the 28th, and the warmest morning was on the 1st when the minimum temperature was 27.4 °C

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

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

* 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