Adelaide Monthly Climate Summary: August and Winter 2006
Record Winter Dry in Adelaide
Friday 1 September, 2006
In Brief
Adelaide recorded its lowest winter rainfall on record this year.
Rainfall in Adelaide during August was one of the lowest on record.
The maximum temperature was above normal while minimum temperature
was near normal.
Details
Rainfall:
Adelaide’s rainfall for August 2006 was only 10.2 mm, recorded on 8 days.
This is 59.6 mm below the average of 69.8 mm on 17 days. Last year,
90.8 mm was recorded in August on 14 days. This is the third driest August
in the 167 years of rainfall records taken at the South Australian Regional
Office. The driest August on record occurred in 1944 when 8.4 mm was recorded.
The total rainfall for winter 2006 was 58.6 mm on 28 days. Last year 275.4 mm
of rain was recorded over 43 days during winter. The average winter rainfall
for Kent Town is 231.5 mm. Based on the combined records taken at the West
Terrace and Kent Town offices, this is the driest winter on record. The
previous driest winter on record occurred in 1914 when 61.5 mm was recorded.
The total rainfall for the first eight months of 2006 was 218 mm on 66 days.
Last year 345.8 mm on 68 days was recorded over the same period. The average
rainfall for the first eight months is 393.9 mm.
Temperatures:
The mean maximum temperature for August 2006 is 18.7°C*, which is 2.1°C above
the average August mean maximum of 16.6°C. The mean August maximum last year
was 17.8°C. This has been the equal warmest August maximum since 1993.
Winter, 2006 average maximum temperature is 16.6°C which is 0.6°C above
the long term winter average maximum of 16.0°C. This has been the warmest
winter since last year.
The average maximum temperature for the first 8 months of the year is 21.9°C
which is the warmest temperature for this period since 1961.
The mean minimum temperature for August 2006 is 7.6°C, which is 0.6°C
below the average August mean minimum of 8.2°C. This has been the coolest
August minimum since 2003. Last August, the mean minimum was 8.8°C.
Winter, 2006 average minimum temperature was 6.9°C, which is 1.1°C below
the long-term winter average minimum of 8.0°C.
*calculated to 3pm 31 August 2006
Please Note: this information is provided on the last working
day of the month; naturally, finalised figures cannot be provided
until the first working day of the following month, when a more
complete release will be issued .
ADELAIDE SUMMARY ISSUED 1 September, 2006
Further information:
Bruce Brooks, tel: (08) 8366 2698, e-mail:
climate.sa@bom.gov.au
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