Thursday, 1 November 2012 - Monthly Climate Summary for Queensland - Product code IDCKGC24R0

Queensland in October 2012: Cool nights, average-warm days, average-below average rainfall

• Around 70% of the state recorded below average minimum temperatures. This was the lowest since 1982
• Half of the state recorded average maximum temperatures 
• Around half of the state recorded average rainfall 
• There were 14 low temperature records and 7 low rainfall records
  

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top

Rainfall

The Queensland area averaged rainfall was 16.6 mm. The lowest since 2009. Around 50% of the state recorded average rainfall, with around 44% below average (mainly in the south, also the coastal and inland region around Bowen), with above average rainfall on the Peninsula.

The wettest overall was Cooran TM with 232.0 mm, followed by Topaz Alert with 145.0 mm, followed by Byfield Childs Road with 121.0 mm.

The wettest single day was at Cooran TM with 229.0 mm on the 18th, followed by Horn Island with 103.2 mm on the 23rd, followed by Bramwell with 101.0 mm on the 23rd.

Weekly rainfall summary:
2nd to 9th: most of Australia recorded little or no rainfall. At the start of the week moist easterly winds triggered showers on the Queensland coast. Falls greater than 25 mm were recorded in the Cairns region. The highest recorded rainfall total for the week was 88 mm at Kareeya, near Innisfail;
10th to 16th: rainfall was mostly recorded in eastern Australia. A surface trough triggered rain and thunderstorms across the eastern States early in the week, before an East Coast Low developed off the south coast over the 11th. Falls of between 25 and 100 mm were recorded in southeast Queensland, with isolated falls above 25 mm also recorded west of Townsville and falls above 5 mm were recorded in parts of southeast and central Queensland;
17th to 23rd: most of Australia recorded little or no rainfall. Thunderstorms produced rain in parts of the tropical north throughout the week, with falls greater than 50 mm in Far North Queensland at the end of the week;
24th to 30th: widespread rain in the south-east during the second half of the week. Falls greater than 50 mm were recorded north of Charleville and near Rockhampton, with isolated falls above 25 mm recorded near Innisfail.

Temperature

The area averaged mean temperature (see notes section) was 0.19 °C below the long-term average of 24.7 °C (1961-1990).

The warmest on average was Croydon Township with 29.4 °C, followed by Normanton Airport with 29.4 °C, followed by Kowanyama Airport with 29.3 °C, followed by Weipa Aero with 28.5 °C.

The coolest on average was Applethorpe with 15.2 °C, followed by Stanthorpe Leslie Parade with 15.5 °C, followed by Jimna Forestry with 18.1 °C.

Maximum temperature

The area averaged maximum temperature (see notes section) was 0.68 °C above the long-term average of 32.0 °C (1961-1990). 50% of the state recorded average maximum temperatures, with around 40% above average (mainly in the south and west), and some coastal and inland regions (around Ingham and St Lawrence), recorded below average.

The hottest day was at Urandangi Aerodrome with 42.5 °C on the 23rd, followed by Urandangi Aerodrome with 42.5 °C on the 24th, followed by Century Mine with 42.3 °C on the 10th, followed by Birdsville Airport with 42.2 °C on the 24th.

The warmest days on average were at Century Mine with 37.5 °C, followed by Camooweal Township with 36.7 °C, followed by Julia Creek Airport with 36.7 °C, followed by Urandangi Aerodrome with 36.6 °C.

The coolest days on average were at Applethorpe with 23.0 °C, followed by Cape Moreton Lighthouse with 23.3 °C, followed by Stanthorpe Leslie Parade with 23.7 °C.

The coldest day was at Stanthorpe Leslie Parade with 11.0 °C on the 12th, followed by Applethorpe with 12.8 °C on the 11th, followed by Applethorpe with 13.1 °C on the 12th.

Minimum temperature

The area averaged minimum temperature (see notes section) was 1.06 °C below the long-term average of 17.3 °C (1961-1990). Around 70% of the state recorded below average minimum temperatures, with exceptions being the far north, south-west corner and south-east coast.

The coldest night was at Stanthorpe Leslie Parade with 0.5 °C on the 13th, followed by Stanthorpe Leslie Parade with 1.0 °C on the 14th, followed by Applethorpe with 1.4 °C on the 13th, followed by Roma Airport with 1.4 °C on the 13th.

The coolest nights on average were at Applethorpe with 7.3 °C, followed by Stanthorpe Leslie Parade with 7.3 °C, followed by Warwick with 9.6 °C, followed by Oakey Aero with 9.7 °C.

The warmest nights on average were at Coconut Island with 24.8 °C, followed by Horn Island with 24.4 °C, followed by Sweers Island with 24.4 °C, followed by Willis Island with 23.9 °C.

The warmest night was at Croydon Township with 27.3 °C on the 31st, followed by Sweers Island with 27.2 °C on the 28th, followed by Mornington Island with 26.7 °C on the 30th.

Wind

The strongest wind gust was at Cape Moreton Lighthouse with 106 km/h on the 22nd, followed by Cape Moreton Lighthouse with 98 km/h on the 23rd, followed by Ballera Gas Field with 94 km/h on the 21st.

Other phenomena

Snow was reported in Stanthorpe on the 12th  (due to a combination of cold air over the Great Dividing Range, brought up from the Southern Ocean, and an intense low-pressure system off the east coast)

Mainly smoke, with some possible dust, was mostly confined to the southern SE Coast district during the month

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.

* 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