Monday, 1 June 2020 - Monthly Climate Summary for Northern Territory - Product code IDCKGC12R0

Northern Territory in May 2020: First colder than average month for nearly a year

Temperatures across nearly all parts of the Northern Territory were below average in May. Overall, rainfall was well below average, although central regions had rainfall totals marginally above average for the month.

Below average temperatures across the Territory

• Averaged across the NT, the mean temperature was 1.1 °C below the long-term average. This is the first time since August 2019 that the mean monthly temperature has been below average. The monthly maximum and minimum temperatures were also cool at 1.1 °C and 1.0 °C below average, respectively
• The Top End of the Territory was the only district that had monthly temperatures above the long-term average in May. A large proportion south of the Top End experienced mean maxium and minimum temperatures up to 2 °C below average during the month
• Temperatures were particularly cool during 22 to 23 May when a cloud band, combined with a cool, dry southeasterly wind-flow affected the NT; many sites recorded their coldest May day (lowest maximum temperature) and/or their lowest May temperature on record during this 2-day period

Below average rain for first month of dry season

• While May marks the start of the annual dry season (May to September) for the Northern Territory, much of the NT averages between 10 and 25 mm of rain during the month; in the far northeast, average rainfall during May can be as high as 100 mm
• Apart from some central districts, rainfall was average to below average during the month. Averaged across the NT, May rainfall was 48% below the long-term average, with totals of up to 25 mm reported across central districts, and over 25 mm around Arnhem Land

Darwin Airport

• Total rainfall for Darwin Airport was 1.2 mm, which is 6% of the long-term average of 20.9 mm
• The mean daily maximum temperature for Darwin Airport was 32.1 °C, equal to the long-term average.. The warmest day was 34.4 °C on the 19th, and the coolest day was on the 22nd when the temperature reached 25.0 °C
• The mean daily minimum temperature for Darwin Airport was 22.4 °C, which is 0.2 °C above the long-term average of 22.2 °C. The coldest morning was 18.3 °C on the 26th, and the warmest morning was on the 1st when the minimum temperature was 25.5 °C
• Darwin Airport had seven days when the minimum temperature fell to 20 °C or below, including 5 in a row between 22 and 26 May. Darwin averages 5 sub-20 °C days during May and typically experiences a dry-season total of 51 such days

Alice Springs Airport

• Total rainfall for Alice Springs Airport was 0 mm, compared to the the long-term average of 18.2 mm
• The mean daily maximum temperature for Alice Springs Airport was 22.4 °C, which is 0.8 °C below the long-term average of 23.2 °C. The warmest day was 31.7 °C on the 8th, and the coolest day was on the 23rd when the temperature reached 17.2 °C
• The mean daily minimum temperature for Alice Springs Airport was 6.7 °C, which is 1.5 °C below the long-term average of 8.2 °C. The coldest morning was 0.7 °C on the 23rd, and the warmest morning was on the 20th when the minimum temperature was 14.7 °C
• Alice Springs typically experiences between zero and one day below 0 °C during May
• Autumn (March–May) summary for Alice Springs Airport: rainfall total of 53.4 mm, 81% of long-term average of 66.0 mm. Mean maximum temperature of 29.1 °C, which was 1.0 °C above the long-term average. The highest autumn temperature of 38.5 °C observed on 29 March. The mean minimum autumn temperature was 13.6 °C, which is 0.8 °C above average; the lowest autumn temperature was 0.7 °C observed on 23 May

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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Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top