Monday, 2 September 2019 - Monthly Climate Summary for South Australia - Product code IDCKGC13R0

South Australia in August 2019: driest August for more than a decade

Rainfall in August was below average across most of South Australia, making it the driest August since 2007 for the State. Daytime temperatures were generally close to average in most areas of South Australia, while night-time temperatures were cooler than average in the State's east. Overall, it was South Australia's coolest August since 2010.

Driest August since 2007

• Rainfall in August was 66% below average for South Australia as a whole, the State's driest August since 2007
• Rainfall for the month was below average across most of South Australia
• Only small areas in the far west and parts of the Murraylands and Upper South East districts recorded near-average rainfall for the month
• Totals were less than 60% of average for August across most of the State
• Little or no rain fell in the northern Pastoral districts
• The State's wettest days were the 8th and 9th during the passage of several cold fronts across the south, with more than 40 mm recorded at multiple sites in the Mount Lofty Ranges
• The storms on the 8th brought severe winds and localised flooding to the Adelaide Hills, with power blackouts affecting thousands of properties across South Australia
• The highest rainfall totals for the month were in the Adelaide Hills, with 126.8 mm at Ashton the wettest location
• On the 8th, McLaren Vale (Pirramimma Winery) had its highest August daily rainfall on record

Coolest August since 2010

• Daytime temperatures were generally close to average for August, but nights were cooler than average in the east, resulting in South Australia's overall coolest August for mean temperature since 2010
• Daytime temperatures were cooler than average in the South East and areas of the Northeast Pastoral district, but close to average or warmer than average elsewhere
• The mean maximum temperature for South Australia was 0.37 °C above average, but it was the lowest for August since 2010 due to eight consecutive years of much warmer than average Augusts
• Mean minimum temperatures were below average across most of eastern South Australia, including large areas of very much below average minima in some central Agricultural districts and the Northeast Pastoral district
• The mean minimum temperature for South Australia was 1.08 °C below average, the lowest for August since 2014
• On the 7th, Kingscote Aero equalled its coldest August day on record of 10.8 °C, although the old Kingscote site recorded a maximum temperature of just 9.5 °C on 11 August 1960
• On the 29th, Padthaway South had its lowest August temperature on record of -2.1 °C, although the old Padthaway site recorded a low of -3.7 °C on 3 August 1997
• Marree Aero had its lowest August mean daily minimum temperature on record and Streaky Bay and Andamooka had their lowest August mean daily minimum temperature for at least 20 years

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

* 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