Friday, 1 February 2013 - Monthly Climate Summary for South Australia - Product code IDCKGC13R0

South Australia in January 2013: Hot and dry conditions to start the year

• Driest January in 24 years (since 1989) with below average rainfall across most of the state.
• Extensive heatwave conditions see record high temperatures for several locations.
• Moomba observes the highest temperature in South Australia in 54 years, and the sixth hottest temperature ever officially recorded in Australia.
• Oodnadatta has a record run of days with maximum temperatures above 45 °C.

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top

Rainfall

Rainfall across much of South Australia during January was below average due to weak tropical activity for this time of the year, with many locations receiving less than half of their average January rainfall. Averaged across the state as a whole, January 2013 was the driest January since 1989.

Much of the rainfall during the month was recorded when a band of rain from a middle level cloud band streaming across the state from ex-Tropical Cyclone Narelle, extended across southern South Australia between the13th and 14th. A cold front crossed South Australian coasts at the end of month bringing showers for coastal areas and fresh southerly winds in the wake of the front.

Pastoral Districts

Rainfall across pastoral areas was generally well below average, though some locations saw higher totals from isolated thunderstorm activity, particularly in the northeast of the state.

Many locations across the Pastoral districts observed no rainfall through the month, of those that did, totals of 2 to 4 mm were typical. Yunta Airstrip reported the highest January rainfall total with 5.4 mm, all of which was recorded on the 19th from thunderstorm activity.

Agricultural Districts

Rainfall totals over the agricultural districts were generally below average, generally between 10 to 15 mm, with higher totals up to 20 mm in the Mount Lofty Ranges.

Hawker reported the highest January rainfall total for the state this month, with 26.6mm, all of which was recorded on the 19th from thunderstorms and resulted in the wettest day for any location in the state this month.

Some sites had their lowest total January rainfall on record.
Some sites had their lowest total January rainfall for at least 25 years.
See a map of rainfall deciles.

Temperature

The month began with extensive heatwave conditions in place across much of South Australia, particularly in the north. Southern areas saw relief from weak cold frontal systems, but the heat persisted for much of the month inland. The month finished with a burst of milder conditions for the summer period extending across the state.

The mean temperature (the average of the daily maximum and daily minimum temperatures) for South Australia as a whole for January 2012 was 1.9 °C above than the long-term January average. This makes January 2013 the hottest since 2011 and the 9th warmest January on record for South Australia as a whole. By comparison, January 2011 was 2.7 °C warmer than average.

Maximum Temperature

January maximum temperatures were in excess of 1°C above average across all of the state and have resulted in the warmest January since 2006 and the sixth warmest on record. Maximum temperatures averaged through the month ranged from 23.1°C at Robe Comparison in the southeast to 41.9°C at Moomba Airport in the Far North district.

The warmest period for many locations occurred through the first 2 to 3 weeks of January with particularly long periods of hot days across the northern parts of the state. The hottest days for much of the state occurred between the 4th and 6th with some sites observing their highest January temperature on record.
.

The hottest day of the month for any location in South Australia was recorded at Moomba Airport on the 12th where the maximum temperature reached 49.6 °C which was the highest temperature recorded in South Australia since 1960 and the sixth hottest temperature ever officially recorded in Australia. Oodnadatta, in the far north of South Australia, observed a record run of 7 consecutive days with maximum temperatures above 45 °C. Further details on this event are available in Special Climate Statement 43.

A strong cold frontal system moved across South Australia at the end of month bringing cooler conditions and fresh southerly winds in the wake of the front; with this, Mount Lofty had the coldest day for any location in the State on the 31st with a maximum of 15.5°C.

See a map of maximum temperature anomalies.

Minimum Temperature

Overnight minimum temperatures for January 2013 were cooler than average in the southern parts of the State, though widely more than 1 °C above average across northern South Australia. Minimum temperatures averaged through the month ranged from 10.6°C at Naracoorte Aerodrome in the southeast to 24.7 °C at Moomba Airport in the Far North Pastoral district.

The coolest night for any location was observed at Coonawarra in the southeast on the 14th with a minimum of temperature of just 2.7 °C, though many locations observed cooler nights through the last week of January in the wake of the vigorous cold frontal system. The warmest nights for many locations was through the first week of the month. Arkaroola recorded the warmest night of the month on the 18th with 32.4 °C, the hottest night at that location in 10 years.

See a map of minimum temperature anomalies.

---

Extremes in January 2013
Hottest day	49.6 °C at Moomba Airport on the 12th
Warmest days on average	41.9 °C at Moomba Airport
Coolest days on average	23.1 °C at Robe Comparison
Coldest day	15.5 °C at Mount Lofty on the 31st
Coldest night	2.7 °C at Coonawarra on the 14th
Coolest nights on average	10.6 °C at Naracoorte Aerodrome
Warmest nights on average	24.7 °C at Moomba Airport
Warmest night	32.4 °C at Arkaroola on the 18th
Warmest on average overall	33.3 °C at Moomba Airport
Coolest on average overall	18.3 °C at Robe Airfield
Wettest overall	26.6 mm at Hawker
Driest overall	0 mm at Andamooka 0 mm at Coober Pedy Airport 0 mm at Ernabella (Pukatja) 0 mm at Leigh Creek Airport 0 mm at Marla Police Station 0 mm at Minburra 0 mm at Oodnadatta Airport 0 mm at Port Augusta Aero 0 mm at Roxby Downs (Olympic Dam Aerodrome) 0 mm at Yongala
Wettest day	26.6 mm at Hawker on the 19th
Highest wind gust	107 km/h at Neptune Island on the 25th

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top

---

Record lowest total January rainfall
	Total rainfall for January 2013 (mm)	Previous driest for January		Years of record	Average for January
Yongala	0.0	= 0.0	in 1986	133	22.2
Oodnadatta Airport	0.0	= 0.0	in 2008	65	22.9
Andamooka	0.0	= 0.0	in 2009	48	17.4
Blanchetown Lock 1	0.2	0.3	in 1971	45	20.0
Coonawarra	1.0	2.4	in 2009	28	27.1
Leigh Creek Airport	0.0	= 0.0	in 2009	27	20.2
Marla Police Station	0.0	= 0.0	in 2009	26	14.7

Lowest total January rainfall for at least 25 years
	Total rainfall for January 2013 (mm)	Most recent January at least this dry		Years since drier	Average for January
Kalangadoo	2.2	1.6	in 1957	56	28.5

---

Record highest January temperature
	Highest temperature in January 2013 (°C)		Previous warmest for January		Years of record	Average for January
Mount Gambier Aero	43.6	on the 4th	= 43.6	on the 29th in 2009	71	25.2
Adelaide Airport	44.1	on the 4th	44.0	on the 28th in 2009	58	28.1
Kimba	46.0	on the 4th	45.6	on the 31st in 1968	46	31.4
Leigh Creek Airport	46.3	on the 6th	46.1	on the 25th in 2011	30	35.4
Whyalla Aero	47.2	on the 4th	47.1	on the 25th in 2003	29	30.1

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top

---

Summary statistics for January 2013
	Maximum temperatures for January (°C)				Minimum temperatures for January (°C)				Rainfall for January (millimetres)
	Mean for January 2013	Diff from average	Highest for January 2013		Mean for January 2013	Diff from average	Lowest for January 2013		Total for January 2013	Average for January	Rank of January 2013	Fraction of January average
Northwest (district 16)
Andamooka	38.4	+1.9	47.2	6th	22.2	+0.9	15.5	29th	0	17.4	lowest	0%
Coober Pedy Airport	38.5		46.3	7th	22.0		13.8	29th	0
Ernabella (Pukatja)	38.2		43.8	11th	21.9		15.3	29th	0
Marla Police Station	39.4	+2.2	45.7	11th	21.8	-0.2	12.3	30th	0	14.7	lowest	0%
Roxby Downs (Olympic Dam Aerodrome)	38.4		47.3	6th	20.3		14.3	10th	0
Tarcoola Aero	38.3		47.4	4th	19.2		10.2	29th	2.2
Woomera Aerodrome	36.9	+2.4	46.1	4th	19.6	+0.1	13.8	30th	4.4	14.9	average	30%
Far North (district 17)
Arkaroola	36.9	+2.7	44.8	5th	20.4	+0.3	13.5	29th	1.7	33.3	low	5%
Leigh Creek Airport	38.5	+3.1	46.3	6th	21.3	+0.6	13.4	29th	0	20.2	lowest	0%
Marree Aero	40.8		48.3	5th	22.6		14.6	30th	1.0
Marree Comparison	41.4	+3.5	48.4	8th	21.6	+0.2	12.0	29th	1.2	17.2	average	7%
Moomba Airport	41.9		49.6	12th	24.7		17.4	31st	3.4
Oodnadatta Airport	40.9	+3.1	48.2	8th	23.9	+0.9	15.4	30th	0	22.9	lowest	0%
Western Agricultural (district 18)
Ceduna AMO	29.6	+1.0	46.2	17th	15.5	+0.3	8.6	30th	1.8	11.5	low	16%
Cleve	28.6	+0.3	45.0	4th	16.3	+0.7	10.8	30th	10.0	15.4	average	65%
Cleve Aerodrome	29.4		46.1	4th	15.1		9.9	30th	8.8	15.0	average	59%
Coulta (Coles Point)	28.4	+1.2	39.7	4th	14.6	-0.3	9.3	30th	12.0
Cummins Aero	30.0		43.9	17th	13.9		6.3	26th	7.6
Elliston	27.3	+1.5	41.4	17th	15.6	-0.1	11.5	23rd	8.0	10.2	average	78%
Kimba	33.2	+1.8	46.0	4th			8.2	30th	2.6	16.8	low	15%
Kyancutta	34.7	+1.7	48.0	4th	14.1	-0.3	6.9	30th	3.4	13.7	average	25%
Minnipa Pirsa	33.4		46.9	4th	15.3		9.3	29th	4.6
Neptune Island	23.2	+1.2	32.7	17th	17.2	+1.1	15.3	28th	5.6	12.5	average	45%
North Shields (Port Lincoln AWS)	27.6	+1.7	45.6	17th	15.7	0.0	11.1	1st	6.8
Nullarbor	29.2	+1.4	46.8	3rd	16.4	+0.7	8.3	30th	3.4	11.1	average	31%
Port Augusta Aero	35.0		47.7	4th	18.6		12.0	30th	0
Streaky Bay	30.8	+1.5	43.3	17th	16.4	+0.3	12.0	14th	3.8	10.6	average	36%
Whyalla Aero	30.6	+0.5	47.2	4th	17.7	+0.1	12.7	15th	0.6	14.5	low	4%
Wudinna Aero	34.1		48.2	4th	13.5		7.3	30th	2.2
Upper North (district 19)
Hawker	36.2	+2.0	45.0	7th	18.0	0.0	11.5	29th	26.6	19.9	high	134%
Yongala	32.7	+1.9	42.6	7th	13.3	-0.1	5.2	30th	0	22.2	lowest	0%
Northeast (district 20)
Gluepot Reserve (Gluepot)	34.4		45.7	4th	14.1		6.0	15th	1.7
Yunta Airstrip	34.8		44.8	7th	14.9		6.9	15th	5.4
Lower North (district 21)
Clare High School	30.7		42.4	4th	13.8		6.4	30th	4.4
Port Pirie Aerodrome	33.2		45.5	4th	16.1		9.0	29th	0.6
Snowtown (Rayville Park)	32.4		45.4	4th	13.7		7.7	30th	4.0
Yorke Peninsula (district 22A)
Edithburgh	26.2	+1.1	44.8	4th	16.5	-0.1	9.6	30th	8.2	11.7	average	70%
Kadina AWS	31.7		46.1	4th	13.5		6.9	30th	4.8
Maitland	30.0	+0.8	44.5	4th	16.0	+0.3	11.5	30th	15.8	17.1	average	92%
Minlaton Aero	30.0		44.8	4th	14.3		8.9	10th	8.4
Stenhouse Bay	26.1		41.1	4th	16.9		12.6	10th	13.4
Warooka	28.1	+0.9	41.8	4th	15.9	+0.5	12.2	30th	9.0	14.3	average	63%
Kangaroo Island (district 22B)
Cape Borda	25.2		36.5	4th	14.0		10.0	14th	7.2
Cape Willoughby	23.3	+1.7	39.7	4th	16.8	+1.0	14.3	29th	5.2	18.3	low	28%
Kingscote Aero	27.7		42.8	4th	12.0		5.8	15th	7.6	13.8	average	55%
Parndana Cfs AWS	26.7		41.6	17th	12.4		7.5	10th	8.4
Adelaide Plains (district 23A)
Adelaide (Kent Town)	30.4	+1.1	45.0	4th	16.7	-0.4	12.3	14th	11.6	19.3	average	62%
Adelaide Airport	28.8	+0.7	44.1	4th	15.7	-0.3	11.2	15th	11.4	17.4	average	66%
Edinburgh RAAF	30.4	+0.5	45.2	4th	15.8	-0.6	10.6	15th	13.2	20.6	average	64%
Parafield Airport	30.6	+1.0	44.7	4th	15.7	-0.6	11.1	15th	13.4	20.8	average	64%
Roseworthy AWS	31.7		46.0	4th	12.5		5.3	29th	8.0
County Light (district 23B)
Nuriootpa Viticultural	30.6		43.4	4th	13.3		5.9	29th	4.8
Rosedale (Turretfield Research Centre)	31.8	+1.3	45.6	4th	13.9	-1.3	6.6	29th	7.9	18.3	average	43%
Mount Lofty Ranges (district 23C)
Hindmarsh Island AWS	25.8		43.6	4th	15.7		10.6	14th	12.4
Kuitpo Forest Reserve	26.3		41.0	4th	13.6		9.7	10th	12.2
Mount Barker	28.3	+1.1	42.7	4th	12.4	+0.6	7.4	30th	15.6	25.7	average	61%
Mount Crawford (Mt Crawford AWS)	27.9		41.8	4th	13.3		7.8	14th	12.0
Mount Lofty	25.1		38.5	4th	12.3		6.9	14th	17.4
Noarlunga	28.5		43.4	4th	16.2		11.1	29th	8.6
Parawa (Second Valley Forest AWS)	24.3		39.6	4th	13.6		9.9	10th	17.4
Victor Harbor (Encounter Bay)	25.8		43.8	4th	13.9		8.7	15th	14.4
Upper Murray Valley (district 24A)
Loxton Research Centre	33.0	+1.2	45.0	4th	14.1	-0.5	6.9	15th	1.4	18.7	v low	7%
Renmark Aero	34.1		46.0	4th	15.1		7.1	15th	0.8
Lower Murray Valley (district 24B)
Eudunda	31.2	+2.0	43.0	4th	13.9	0.0	8.0	14th	4.0	21.6	low	19%
Meningie	26.9	+0.9	43.0	4th	14.1	+0.1	7.8	14th	3.8	18.2	low	21%
Murray Bridge (Pallamana Aerodrome)	30.0		45.7	4th	13.5		8.1	14th	11.6
Murray Bridge Comparison	30.8	+1.7	45.6	4th	14.6	0.0	8.5	14th	12.8	16.3	average	79%
Strathalbyn Racecourse	27.7		43.6	4th	14.0		9.7	14th	15.0
Murray Mallee (district 25A)
Karoonda	31.3		45.6	4th	12.9		8.8	10th	13.2	17.3	average	76%
Upper Southeast (district 25B)
Keith	30.7	+0.8	44.8	4th	12.5	-0.6	5.8	15th	2.8	18.7	low	15%
Keith (Munkora)	31.1		46.1	4th	10.7		3.8	14th	2.6
Lameroo (Austin Plains)	31.9		45.0	4th	12.5		7.4	10th	13.4
Lameroo Comparison	32.2	+1.3	44.0	4th	13.9	+0.5	8.5	29th	12.8	19.6	average	65%
Lower Southeast (district 26)
Cape Jaffa (The Limestone)	24.9	+0.3	38.2	4th	13.5	-0.1	8.5	10th	3.4
Coonawarra	28.4	+1.3	42.9	4th	10.8	-0.7	2.7	14th	1.0	27.1	lowest	4%
Mount Gambier Aero	26.8	+1.6	43.6	4th	11.1	0.0	4.5	14th	6.4	27.0	low	24%
Naracoorte Aerodrome	29.6		44.6	4th	10.6		3.5	14th	0.6
Padthaway South	29.5		43.9	4th	11.1		4.0	14th	1.2
Robe Airfield	24.8		38.7	4th	11.8		5.2	14th	4.2
Robe Comparison	23.1	+0.6	31.0	4th	14.4	+0.8	10.2	27th	3.6	20.1	low	18%

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top

---

---