Monday, 3 February 2020 - Monthly Climate Summary for Greater Adelaide - Product code IDCKGC13L0

Greater Adelaide in January 2020: wet in the south and east, some cool days and nights

Rainfall for January was above average in the south and east, but it was generally drier than average in suburbs north of the city. Both daytime and night-time temperatures were generally cooler than average for January, despite several very hot days.

Wetter than average in the south and east

• Rainfall for January was near-average to above average across Adelaide and the Hills
• The highest totals were in the Mount Lofty Ranges east and south of Adelaide, with drier than average conditions north of the city
• Rainfall totals ranged from 55% of average at Edinburgh RAAF to 223% of average at Kuitpo Forest Reserve
• On the 20th, rainfall totals of more than 25 mm were recorded in the Mount Lofty Ranges, and Kuitpo Forest Reserve had its highest January daily rainfall on record
• The highest monthly total recorded was 73.8 mm at Prospect Hill, which was also the wettest location in the State this month
• A few sites had their highest total January rainfall since the 1970s

Cooler than average days and nights

• Daytime temperatures were generally cooler than average for January across Adelaide and the Hills
• The month ended with severe heatwave conditions across the city and the hottest day was on the 30th, when all low elevation sites reached at least 40 °C
• Very hot days on the 3rd, 9th, and 30th were offset by a very cold day on the 5th and a generally cooler than average second half of January
• Kent Town had 13 consecutive days below 30 °C from 15–27 January, the site's longest such run in January since 1992 and longest in summer since December 2008
• Mean maximum temperatures ranged from 1.2 °C below average at Noarlunga to 2.0 °C above average at Mount Lofty
• Night-time temperatures were cooler than average for January across most of Adelaide and the Hills
• On the 5th, very much below average temperatures behind a low pressure trough resulted in some sites having their coldest January day on record
• Mean minimum temperatures ranged from 0.8 °C below average at Mount Crawford to 0.2 °C above average at Adelaide Airport

Adelaide (West Terrace / ngayirdapira)

• Total rainfall for Adelaide (West Terrace / ngayirdapira) was 26.2 mm, which is 132% of the long-term average of 19.8 mm
• The mean daily maximum temperature for Adelaide (West Terrace / ngayirdapira) was 28.7 °C, which is 0.1 °C above the long-term average of 28.6 °C. The warmest day was 43.3 °C on the 30th, and the coolest day was on the 5th when the temperature reached 17.8 °C
• The mean daily minimum temperature for Adelaide (West Terrace / ngayirdapira) was 16.5 °C, which is 0.1 °C below the long-term average of 16.6 °C. The coldest morning was 11.5 °C on the 5th, and the warmest morning was on the 31st when the minimum temperature was 29.0 °C

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Daily observations Important notes the top

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Daily observations Important notes the top

* note: there are gaps in the historical record at this site, so it is possible a higher value has gone unreported

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Daily observations Important notes the top

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Daily observations Important notes the top

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Daily observations Important notes the top