Friday, 1 June 2018 - Monthly Climate Summary for South Australia - Product code IDCKGC13R0

South Australia in May 2018: drier than average, close to average temperatures

Rainfall during May was generally below average across much of South Australia, continuing a run of five consecutive months of below average rainfall for the State as a whole. Daytime temperatures were close to average in most districts, while overnight temperatures were generally cooler than average in the north but warm across the Southeast.

Below average rainfall

• Rainfall during May was 58% below average
• Rainfall was generally below average across most of South Australia
• The northern Pastoral districts received little or no rain during the month
• Several cold fronts during the month brought rainfall totals close to average across the southeastern agricultural districts, including a small area of above average rainfall in the Lower Southeast
• May continued a run of five consecutive months of below average rainfall for South Australia as a whole

Daytime temperatures close to average, cooler than average nights in the north

• The mean temperature for South Australia as a whole was close to the May average, just 0.07 C cooler than average
• Daytime temperatures were close to average throughout most of the State, with just a few isolated patches of above average mean maximum temperatures
• The mean maximum temperature for South Australia as a whole was 0.42 °C warmer than average, well below the record-breaking heat of April but continuing a run of 13 consecutive months of warmer than average mean maximum temperatures for the State
• Overnight temperatures were generally cooler than average in Pastoral districts but warmer than average in southern Agricultural districts
• A complex low pressure system brought cold temperatures and rain to much of South Australia on the 11th
• Severe weather warnings were issued for damaging winds and thunderstorms in parts of South Australia, including the Mount Lofty Ranges, Murraylands, Upper South East, Lower South East, and Kangaroo Island districts
• Cape Jaffa recorded a maximum wind gust of 100 km/h on the morning of the 10th, the strongest at the site during May since at least 2003
• On the morning of the 14th, cold air associated with a complex low pressure system resulted in minimum temperatures dropping below average and many sites across the State had their coldest night of the year so far
• On the 14th, minimum temperatures were close to freezing in the Lower North and Upper Southeast districts, and below 5 °C across large areas of the State
• Another cold front crossed southern parts of the State on the 15th, with the cold air behind the front resulting in overnight temperatures that were more than six degrees below average in parts of the Southeast
• On the 30th, Nullarbor and Tarcoola Aero had their lowest May temperature on record, although the old Tarcoola site recorded a lower temperature of -1.7 °C on 27 May, 1937

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

Click on a map to show it full size in a pop-up window

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top