Monday, 3 May 2021 - Monthly Climate Summary for Northern Territory - Product code IDCKGC12R0

Northern Territory in April 2021: very dry ending to the wet season

Apart from a small section of the north-west Top End, the Northern Territory had less than average rainfall in April 2021. Territory-wide, daytime temperatures were above average apart from the far south of the Territory, while night-time temperatures were below-average across most parts.

Very dry month

• Nearly all of the Northern Territory was drier than average during April; Territory-wide, rainfall was 67% below the long-term average.
• While monsoonal conditions developed across northern Australia duirng April, the focus remained away from the Territory, predominantly affecting Western Australia; rainfall for the Territory was associated with isolated shower and thunderstorm activity.
• For the year-to-date, rainfall for the Northern Territory is 4% below the long-term average.

Mild days, cool nights

• Overall, temperatures did not vary too much from long-term averages during the month; the mean temperature was 0.17 °C below average.
• Daytime temperatures were near or marginally above average, apart from the far south: overall, the mean maximum temperature was 0.58 °C above the long-term average.
• The mean minimum temperature was 0.93 °C below the long-term average, with most of the Territory observing temperatures up to 2 °C below average; a small region around the Carpentaria coast saw temperatures between 1 and 2 °C above average.
• There were several sites with minimum temperature records, including for warmest April night on record, lowest April temperature on record and lowest April mean daily minimum temperature for at least 20 years.
• For the year-to-date, the mean maximum temperature across the Northern Territory is 0.15 °C above the long-term average, and the mean minimum temperature is 0.13 °C above the long-term average.

Darwin Airport

• Total rainfall for Darwin Airport was 100.4 mm, which is 99% of the long-term average of 101.7 mm
• The mean daily maximum temperature for Darwin Airport was 33.0 °C, which is 0.2 °C above the long-term average of 32.8 °C
• The warmest day was 35.9 °C on the 22nd, and the coolest day was on the 4th when the temperature reached 29.3 °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 18.9 °C on the 25th (the earliest date with a sub-20 °C temperature since 2017), and the warmest morning was on the 8th when the minimum temperature was 26.4 °C

Alice Springs Airport

• Alice Springs Airport recorded no rainfall for the month, compared to the long-term average of 16.2 mm
• The mean daily maximum temperature for Alice Springs Airport was 27.7 °C, which is 0.7 °C below the long-term average of 28.4 °C
• The warmest day was 33.5 °C on the 9th, and the coolest day was on the 16th when the temperature reached 23.7 °C
• The mean daily minimum temperature for Alice Springs Airport was 9.5 °C, which is 3.2 °C below the long-term average of 12.7 °C
• The coldest morning was 3.9 °C on the 19th, and the warmest morning was on the 16th when the minimum temperature was 15.6 °C
• Rainfall for the year-to-date at Alice Springs Airport is 130.3 mm, which is just below the long-term average of 131.3 mm. For the year-to-date, the mean maximum temperature at Alice Springs Airport is 32.6 °C, which is 0.6 °C below the long-term average, and the mean minimum temperature is 17.5 °C, which is 0.6 °C below the long-term average

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