Friday, 2 June 2023 - Monthly Climate Summary for Northern Territory - Product code IDCKGC12R0
Northern Territory in May 2023
Rainfall
- May rainfall was below average for most of the Northern Territory, especially in the Lasseter and Tiwi districts where rainfall was very much below average. In contrast, some parts of the Arnhem district received more than twice the May average.
- May is typically dry in the NT however for the Territory as a whole, May rainfall was 92% below the 1961-1990 average, the 16th driest May on record since 1900.
- Most of the Territory recorded zero rainfall to monthly totals of 10 mm, although small areas in the far north recorded monthly totals in excess of 25 mm, with Cape Wessel having the highest total of 90.8 mm.
Temperature
- Mean maximum temperatures were below average to very much below average for most of the NT, apart from the northern parts of the Top End where temperatures were generally around average. Territory-wide, the mean maximum temperature was 1.46 °C below the 1961-1990 average and the coolest May since 2011.
- Mean minimum temperatures were very much below average for virtually all of the NT, with some parts of the Carpentaria and Tanami districts the lowest on record. Territory-wide, the mean minimum temperature was 3.72 °C below the 1961-1990 average, the 2nd-coolest May on record (since 1900) and the coolest May since 1913.
- Darwin had 14 days of sub-20 °C minimum temperatures, its highest number for May since 1976 when 17 days were observed.
- Pirlangimpi Airport had its highest May temperature on record.
- Two sites had their lowest May mean daily maximum temperature for at least 20 years.
- A few sites had their lowest May temperature on record.
- A number of sites had their lowest May mean daily minimum temperature on record or their lowest May mean daily minimum temperature for at least 20 years.
- A number of sites had their lowest May mean temperature on record or their lowest May mean temperature for at least 20 years.
Darwin Airport
- Total rainfall for Darwin Airport was 0 mm, which is 0% of the long-term average of 20.2 mm.
- The mean daily maximum temperature for Darwin Airport was 32.2 °C, which is 0.1 °C above the long-term average of 32.1 °C.
- The warmest day was 34.8 °C on the 6th, and the coolest day was on the 21st when the temperature reached 29.2 °C.
- The mean daily minimum temperature for Darwin Airport was 20.7 °C, which is 1.5 °C below the long-term average of 22.2 °C.
- The coldest morning was 16.7 °C on the 29th, and the warmest morning was on the 1st when the minimum temperature was 25.4 °C.
Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top
| Extremes in May 2023 | |
|---|---|
| Hottest day |
36.3 °C at Mount Bundey North (Defence) on the 5th 36.3 °C at Mount Bundey North (Defence) on the 7th |
| Warmest days on average | 33.3 °C at Oenpelli Airport |
| Coolest days on average | 21.1 °C at Arltunga |
| Coldest day | 16.2 °C at Arltunga on the 27th |
| Coldest night | -1.9 °C at Arltunga on the 24th |
| Coolest nights on average | 3.7 °C at Alice Springs Airport |
| Warmest nights on average | 25.4 °C at Cape Wessel |
| Warmest night |
27.5 °C at Cape Wessel on the 6th 27.5 °C at McCluer Island on the 7th |
| Warmest on average overall | 28.2 °C at CP Dili Airport |
| Coolest on average overall | 12.4 °C at Arltunga |
| Wettest overall | 90.8 mm at Cape Wessel |
| Wettest day | 41.4 mm at Jabiru Airport on the 15th |
| Strongest wind gust |
70 km/h at Cape Wessel on the 7th 70 km/h at McCluer Island on the 8th |
Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top
| Maps | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Observed | Anomaly | Decile rank | |
| Total rainfall |
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| Mean daily maximum temperatures |
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| Mean daily minimum temperatures |
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Click on a map to show it full size in a pop-up window
| Record highest May temperature | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
New record (°C) |
Old record |
Years of record |
Average for May |
|||
| Pirlangimpi Airport | 35.9 | on the 7th | 35.8 | on the 17th in 2014 | 40 | 32.6 |
| Lowest May mean daily maximum temperature for at least 20 years | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Observed (°C) |
Most recent lower |
Average for May |
|||
| Elliott | 27.4 | 27.3 | in 2000* | 31.2 | |
| Lajamanu Airport | 26.8 | 26.4 | in 2000* | 29.8 | |
* note: there are gaps in the historical record at this site, so it is possible a lower value has gone unreported
| Record lowest May temperature | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
New record (°C) |
Old record |
Years of record |
Average for May |
|||
| Jabiru Airport | 13.9 | on the 12th | = 13.9 | on the 23rd in 1972 | 47 | 22.0 |
| Elliott | 6.2 | on the 28th | 6.6 | on the 26th in 1982 | 43 | 16.0 |
| Borroloola Airport | 5.3 | on the 30th | 5.4 | on the 28th in 2011 | 30 | 15.8 |
| Channel Point | 13.5 | on the 29th | = 13.5 | on the 31st in 2002 | 29 | 20.6 |
| Rabbit Flat | 1.2 | on the 29th | = 1.2 | on the 24th in 2020 | 27 | 11.8 |
| Record lowest May mean daily minimum temperature | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
New record (°C) |
Old record |
Years of record |
Average for May |
||
| Lajamanu Airport | 9.6 | 9.9 | in 2011 | 29 | 13.8 |
| Rabbit Flat | 6.8 | 8.5 | in 2015 | 26 | 11.8 |
| Dum In Mirrie Airstrip | 18.7 | 19.7 | in 2011 | 24 | 21.9 |
| Arltunga | 3.9 | 4.7 | in 2008 | 21 | 8.2 |
| Bradshaw | 14.8 | 15.0 | in 2001 | 21 | 18.8 |
| Lowest May mean daily minimum temperature for at least 20 years | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Observed (°C) |
Most recent lower |
Average for May |
|||
| Alice Springs Airport | 3.7 | 1.4 | in 1976 | 8.2 | |
| Elliott | 13.3 | 12.3 | in 1982* | 16.0 | |
| Jervois | 7.4 | =7.4 | in 1991 | 10.0 | |
* note: there are gaps in the historical record at this site, so it is possible a lower value has gone unreported
| Record lowest May mean temperature | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
New record (°C) |
Old record |
Years of record |
Average for May |
||
| Elliott | 20.3 | 21.1 | in 2006 | 42 | 23.6 |
| Lajamanu Airport | 18.2 | 18.7 | in 2011 | 29 | 21.8 |
| Arltunga | 12.4 | 13.0 | in 2011 | 21 | 15.7 |
| Bradshaw | 23.1 | 23.4 | in 2011 | 21 | 26.4 |
| Walungurru Airport | 19.1 | 19.2 | in 2011 | 21 | 21.4 |
| Lowest May mean temperature for at least 20 years | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Observed (°C) |
Most recent lower |
Average for May |
|||
| Alice Springs Airport | 12.7 | 11.7 | in 1976 | 15.7 | |
| Douglas River Research Farm | 22.7 | 22.1 | in 1974* | 25.1 | |
* 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
| Summary statistics for May 2023 | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maximum temperatures (°C) |
Minimum temperatures (°C) |
Rainfall (millimetres) |
||||||||||
| Mean for May 2023 |
Diff from average |
Highest for May 2023 |
Mean for May 2023 |
Diff from average |
Lowest for May 2023 |
Total for May 2023 |
Average for May |
Rank of May 2023 |
Fraction of May average |
|||
| Darwin-Daly (district 14GA) | ||||||||||||
| Batchelor Airport | 31.3 | -1.6 | 34.3 | 6th | 17.4 | -1.7 | 12.4 | 12th | 0 | 23.6 | lowest | 0% |
| Central Arnhem Plateau | 29.3 | -1.3 | 32.3 | 14th | 17.3 | -2.1 | 12.5 | 19th | 0 | 8.5 | v low | 0% |
| Charles Point | 31.2 | 34.8 | 7th | 21.5 | 17.7 | 31st | 0 | |||||
| Darwin Airport | 32.2 | +0.1 | 34.8 | 6th | 20.7 | -1.5 | 16.7 | 29th | 0 | 20.2 | lowest | 0% |
| Delamere Weapons Range | 30.0 | -1.8 | 34.2 | 5th | 16.4 | -1.7 | 12.2 | 21st | 0 | 3.8 | lowest | 0% |
| Douglas River Research Farm | 31.3 | -2.1 | 35.4 | 6th | 14.2 | -2.5 | 10.0 | 25th | 0 | 9.2 | lowest | 0% |
| Dum In Mirrie Airstrip | 32.5 | +0.1 | 35.6 | 6th | 18.7 | -3.2 | 13.6 | 31st | 0 | 21.2 | lowest | 0% |
| Jabiru Airport | 32.8 | -0.8 | 36.0 | 5th | 21.1 | -0.9 | 13.9 | 12th | 41.6 | 16.7 | high | 249% |
| Kangaroo Flats (Defence) | 32.6 | 35.3 | 16th | 19.3 | 14.6 | 29th | 0 | |||||
| Knuckey Lagoon | 32.6 | 35.1 | 7th | 18.6 | 12.4 | 29th | 0 | |||||
| McCluer Island | 29.1 | -0.4 | 31.1 | 17th | 24.8 | -0.5 | 22.5 | 30th | 21.2 | 44.7 | average | 47% |
| Middle Point | 32.5 | -0.9 | 34.9 | 6th | 16.6 | -2.6 | 11.4 | 29th | 0 | 17.6 | lowest | 0% |
| Mount Bundey North (Defence) | 33.2 | 36.3 | 7th | 19.1 | 14.6 | 30th | 0 | |||||
| Mount Bundey South (Defence) | 33.0 | 35.8 | 16th | 16.9 | 10.2 | 30th | 0 | |||||
| Noonamah Airstrip | 33.2 | 35.8 | 16th | 17.4 | 11.6 | 12th | 0.2 | 9.4 | low | 2% | ||
| Oenpelli Airport | 33.3 | -1.2 | 36.0 | 16th | 21.2 | -1.5 | 14.3 | 12th | 0 | 14.8 | v low | 0% |
| Pirlangimpi Airport | 32.9 | +0.3 | 35.9 | 7th | 20.0 | -1.5 | 15.5 | 22nd | 0.8 | 20.9 | low | 4% |
| Point Fawcett | 30.6 | -1.1 | 32.9 | 6th | 18.6 | -2.6 | 14.2 | 30th | 0.2 | 31.2 | low | 1% |
| Point Stuart | 31.7 | 35.0 | 7th | 18.7 | 14.0 | 12th | 0 | 15.3 | lowest | 0% | ||
| Port Keats Airport | 31.4 | -1.6 | 34.6 | 5th | 18.6 | -0.8 | 11.5 | 30th | 0 | 17.2 | lowest | 0% |
| Tindal RAAF | 30.9 | -1.5 | 35.0 | 6th | 14.0 | -3.4 | 7.6 | 22nd | 0 | 2.1 | lowest | 0% |
| Arnhem (district 14BC) | ||||||||||||
| Cape Wessel | 30.6 | -0.5 | 32.4 | 1st | 25.4 | -0.3 | 24.0 | 16th | 90.8 | 91.4 | average | 99% |
| Gove Airport | 29.8 | 32.0 | 16th | 23.7 | 20.5 | 29th | 67.2 | |||||
| Groote Eylandt Airport | 29.9 | -1.1 | 33.3 | 5th | 18.7 | -0.6 | 11.6 | 29th | 0.6 | 29.5 | v low | 2% |
| Maningrida Airport | 31.4 | -0.7 | 34.1 | 4th | 20.3 | -1.6 | 15.0 | 29th | 10.2 | 22.8 | average | 45% |
| Milingimbi Airport | 31.7 | -0.4 | 34.3 | 4th | 21.1 | -1.4 | 16.0 | 28th | 13.2 | 23.2 | average | 57% |
| Ngayawili | 30.7 | -0.5 | 32.9 | 4th | 22.0 | -0.5 | 16.6 | 28th | 6.6 | 25.7 | average | 26% |
| Warruwi Airport | 31.0 | +0.2 | 33.5 | 4th | 23.5 | -0.6 | 20.2 | 19th | 0 | 15.7 | lowest | 0% |
| Roper-Mcarthur (district 14DE) | ||||||||||||
| Borroloola Airport | 31.9 | -0.6 | 36.2 | 5th | 12.7 | -3.1 | 5.3 | 30th | 0 | 7.0 | lowest | 0% |
| Bulman | 30.7 | -1.9 | 35.0 | 2nd | 16.4 | -2.1 | 8.9 | 22nd | 0 | 15.3 | v low | 0% |
| Centre Island | 28.0 | -1.5 | 32.5 | 6th | 20.7 | -1.9 | 16.7 | 28th | 0.2 | 10.6 | low | 2% |
| Daly Waters Airstrip | 29.6 | -1.8 | 34.7 | 5th | 13.2 | -2.7 | 7.8 | 30th | 0 | 6.2 | lowest | 0% |
| McArthur River Mine Airport | 31.6 | -0.8 | 36.2 | 5th | 14.1 | -2.6 | 5.7 | 30th | 0 | 6.7 | lowest | 0% |
| Ngukurr Airport | 32.1 | -1.2 | 36.0 | 5th | 14.7 | -3.9 | 7.3 | 30th | 0 | 10.0 | v low | 0% |
| Victoria (district 14F) | ||||||||||||
| Bradshaw | 31.7 | -2.2 | 35.8 | 6th | 14.8 | -4.0 | 8.8 | 30th | 0 | 11.3 | lowest | 0% |
| Bradshaw - Angallari Valley (Defence) | 31.3 | 35.7 | 6th | 16.9 | 11.6 | 31st | 0 | |||||
| Bradshaw - Koolendong Valley (Defence) | 31.3 | 35.2 | 5th | 11.8 | 5.6 | 31st | 0 | |||||
| Lajamanu Airport | 26.8 | -3.0 | 30.7 | 15th | 9.6 | -4.2 | 4.6 | 28th | 0 | 7.9 | lowest | 0% |
| Victoria River Downs | 30.3 | -1.8 | 34.9 | 6th | 11.5 | -4.4 | 5.2 | 30th | 0 | 5.7 | lowest | 0% |
| Barkly (district 15A) | ||||||||||||
| Elliott | 27.4 | -3.8 | 32.3 | 5th | 13.3 | -2.7 | 6.2 | 28th | 0 | 6.3 | lowest | 0% |
| Tennant Creek Airport | 25.6 | -2.1 | 30.7 | 15th | 13.2 | -3.2 | 8.4 | 28th | 0 | 7.7 | lowest | 0% |
| Alice Springs (district 15B) | ||||||||||||
| Alice Springs Airport | 21.6 | -1.6 | 27.0 | 25th | 3.7 | -4.5 | -0.8 | 9th | 1.4 | 17.7 | average | 8% |
| Arltunga | 21.1 | -2.1 | 28.8 | 4th | 3.9 | -4.3 | -1.9 | 24th | 1.4 | 18.8 | average | 7% |
| Curtin Springs | 22.9 | -1.0 | 27.2 | 25th | 6.8 | -2.0 | 2.0 | 27th | 0 | 17.1 | lowest | 0% |
| Jervois | 23.4 | -2.0 | 29.0 | 14th | 7.4 | -2.6 | 2.8 | 28th | 0.2 | 15.6 | average | 1% |
| Rabbit Flat | 26.8 | -2.1 | 30.6 | 15th | 6.8 | -5.0 | 1.2 | 29th | 0 | 11.3 | lowest | 0% |
| Territory Grape Farm | 23.3 | -2.4 | 27.1 | 5th | 7.0 | -2.5 | 2.2 | 20th | 0.6 | 20.0 | average | 3% |
| Walungurru Airport | 24.7 | -2.7 | 27.8 | 15th | 13.5 | -2.0 | 7.5 | 28th | 0 | 15.3 | lowest | 0% |
| Watarrka | 22.8 | -2.1 | 26.9 | 15th | 7.7 | -3.0 | 0.5 | 28th | 0 | 19.6 | lowest | 0% |
| Yulara Airport | 22.9 | -1.4 | 27.0 | 25th | 7.0 | -2.4 | 2.5 | 28th | 0 | 12.8 | lowest | 0% |
| Offshore Islands | ||||||||||||
| CP Dili Airport | 31.7 | 33.0 | 3rd | 24.7 | 22.5 | 14th | ||||||
Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top
Notes
The Monthly climate summary, usually published in the first week of the following month, lists the main features of the weather in Northern Territory using the most timely and accurate information available on the date of publication; it will generally not be updated.
This statement has been prepared based on information available at 10 am on Friday 2 June 2023. Some checks have been made on the data, but it is possible that results will change as new information becomes available.
In some situations, some or all of the rainfall is in the form of hail or snow. In these cases the totals given are for the water equivalent: the depth of liquid water that results from melting any frozen precipitation. There can be significant 'undercatch' of snow in strong winds, meaning the true precipitation can be higher than that reported.
Averages for individual sites are long-term means based on observations from
all available years of record, which vary widely from site to site.
They are not shown for sites with less than 10 years of record, as they cannot then be calculated reliably.
The median
is sometimes more representative than the
mean
of long-term average rain.
The Rank indicates how rainfall this time compares with the climate record for the site,
based on the
decile ranking
(very low rainfall is in decile 1, low in decile 2 or 3,
average in decile 4 to 7, high in decile 8 or 9
and very high is in decile 10).
The Fraction of average shows how much rain has fallen this time as a
percentage of the long-term mean.
Where temperature area averages are mentioned, they are derived from the ACORN-SAT dataset.
Information about Australian Indigenous seasonal calendars is available at the Indigenous Weather Knowledge website.
Unless otherwise noted, all maps, graphs and diagrams in this page are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence
