Thursday, 1 March 2007 - Monthly Climate Summary for Tasmania - Product code IDCKGC17R0

Tasmania in February 2007:
Very warm and mostly dry – but locally very wet

Summary

February 2007 was an exceptionally warm month in Tasmania, with several records broken. It was also quite dry – except in those places in the northeast and southeast affected by the several heavy showers and thunderstorms that developed through the month.

A separate summary has also been prepared for the whole of summer 2006/07.

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Details

Hot spells: The second half of the month brought long periods of very warm temperatures. For example, Launceston reported fifteen days in a row over 26°C, and an unprecedented nine straight days reaching 28°C. Launceston had a total of eleven days reaching 28°C; in a normal February this occurs on about four days.
As is often the case, Hobart's temperatures were more varied than Launceston's. But Hobart did have three days in a row reaching 31°C, and a highest temperature of 35.2°C (although Dover's 36.8°C was the hottest in the state). Such a hot spell in Hobart has happened in only twice in February since 1896, and only nine times all up – most recently in December 1994.

Very few cold days: As well as some very warm days, there were very few especially cool days. Hobart's coldest day reached 16.8°C; in a normal February there are about four days that don't reach 17°C. At Bushy Park in the Derwent Valley, every day reached 22.8°C or higher (at Cressy and Ouse every day reached 22.4°C or higher); these are the first times in Tasmania where a station has had every day in a month above 22 °C.

Record warm days: With lots of warm days, several hot ones, and very few cool ones it is not surprising that some sites (including Launceston and Strathgordon) had their highest February mean daily maximum temperature on record. Averaged across the month, maximum temperatures were over 3°C above normal in the west and the northern Midlands, about 2°C above normal along the north coast, but close to normal along the east coast.

Very mild nights: Mild nights were very common through the month. After a cold first morning where a few places dropped below freezing, there were very few cool nights. For example, Launceston had sixteen nights (including an unprecedented twelve in a row) where the temperature did not drop below 15°C; there is normally only about five such mild nights in February. Hobart had twelve nights above 15°C against a February normal of around four. Burnie had a record six nights where the temperature did not drop below 20°C.
Minimum temperatures averaged across the month were above normal, by about 1°C in the south but by over 3°C in the northeast third of the state. Many sites in the north and east (including Launceston, Burnie and Swansea) had their  highest February mean daily minimum temperature on record, or their highest since 1972. Flinders Island Airport, Marrawah and Wynyard had their warmest February night on record.

Not much rain...: With only one major cold front crossing the state during the month, rainfall was well down on normal in most areas. Most sites in the western highlands had their lowest February rainfall on record.  Mount Read, often the wettest spot in the state, received only 30 mm for the whole month. Several sites in the far northwest received less than 10 mm, and Smithton got less than 5 mm for the month. 

...but some local very heavy falls: Several times during the month there were very heavy – but very localised – showers and thunderstorms. On the 10th, thunderstorms gave up to 50 mm to some spots in the northeast. On the 16th, it was the southeast that saw the biggest storms, with falls around 20 mm reported, and more thunderstorms were seen on the 17th and the 18th. The 22nd brought more thunderstorms to the north and northeast; Mount Barrow received 75 mm. There were more storms in the southeast on the 24th, and the month ended with local heavy rain in the northeast, including 80 mm in 24 hours at Gray. These storms mostly delivered their rain in just a few hours but to only small areas; flash flooding was reported as a result. A few sites in the northeast had their wettest February for many years. 

Persistent ridging and few fronts: There were high pressure systems sitting to the east and south of Tasmania for much of February. These prevented cold fronts and low pressure systems from crossing the state (with the notable exception of one on the 19th), so there statewide rain was rare. The highs also directed warm air over Tasmania, bringing the recurrent warm days and the mild nights. Wind were often easterly, pushing temperatures especially high in the western half. Sometimes the air was warm, humid and unstable, allowing thunderstorms to develop, particularly in the northeast and the southeast. 

Further information

Ian Barnes-Keoghan or Tom Delfatti
Tasmania and Antarctica Climate Services Centre
Bureau of Meteorology
Phone (03) 6221 2043
Email climate.tas@bom.gov.au

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Extremes

Hottest day Highest temperature	36.8°C at Dover on the 18th
Warmest days on average Highest mean daily maximum temperature	27.6°C at Ouse and Cressy
Coolest days on average Lowest mean daily maximum temperature	15.9°C at Mount Wellington
Coldest day Lowest daily maximum temperature	8.2°C at Mount Wellington on the 11th
Coldest night Lowest temperature	−1.5°C at Liawenee on the 1st
Coolest nights on average Lowest mean daily minimum temperature	7.3°C at Mount Wellington
Warmest nights on average Highest mean daily minimum temperature	17.0°C at Burnie
Warmest night Highest daily minimum temperature	21.4°C at Flinders Island Airport on the 18th
Wettest overall Highest total rainfall	223.2 mm at Gray (Craigie-Lea)
Driest overall Lowest total rainfall	4.8 mm at Smithton Aerodrome
Wettest day Highest daily rainfall	80.4 mm at Gray (Craigie-Lea) on the 28th
Highest wind gust	115 km/h at Hogan Island on the 10th

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Records

Record lowest total February rainfall
	Total rainfall for February 2007 (mm)	Previous lowest for February		Years of record	Normal for February
Maatsuyker Island Lighthouse	10.0	13.7	in 1901	116	70.1
Waratah (Mount Road)	10.2	14.5	in 1912	105	93.1
Lake Margaret Power Station	34.6	41.3	in 1956	63	141.3
Savage River Mine	12.2	16.0	in 1991	39	78.8
Strathgordon Village	15.8	43.1	in 1975	39	108.7
Zeehan (West Coast Pioneers Museum)	17.8	32.4	in 1983	39	99.7
Port Davey (Melaleuca)	13.6	34.4	in 1956	38	120.8
Marrawah	7.2	8.2	in 1983	37	43.5

Lowest total February rainfall for at least 20 years
	Total rainfall for February 2007 (mm)	Most recent lower for February		Years since lower	Normal for February
Cape Sorell	11.4	10.9	in 1916	66	68.5
Macquarie Island	47.4	45.0	in 1966	41	84.9
Cape Bruny Lighthouse	16.2	15.0	in 1981	26	56.5

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Highest total February rainfall for at least 20 years
	Total rainfall for February 2007 (mm)	Most recent higher for February		Years since higher	Normal for February
Pyengana (Forest Lodge Road)	156.4	200.3	in 1969	38	62.9
Gray (Craigie-Lea)	223.2	283.3	in 1971	35	78.7
Lady Barron (Franklin Parade)	57.2	116.8	in 1978	28	39.6
Cape Barren Island School	80.6	96.5	in 1978	26	36.7

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Record highest February mean daily maximum temperature
	Mean daily maximum temperature for February 2007 (°C)	Previous highest for February		Years of record	Normal for February
Launceston Airport Comparison	26.5	26.2	in 2001	68	23.1
Strathgordon Village	23.9	23.7	in 1971	38	19.5
Marrawah	24.0	23.4	in 1983	35	20.7
Launceston (Ti Tree Bend)	27.3	26.5	in 2000	24	24.3
Tarraleah Village	23.4	22.9	in 2000	23	19.7
Wynyard Airport	23.4	22.8	in 2001	22	21.3

Highest February mean daily maximum temperature for at least 20 years
	Mean daily maximum temperature for February 2007 (°C)	Most recent higher for February		Years since higher	Normal for February
Maatsuyker Island Lighthouse	19.5	20.1	in 1972	35	17.2

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Record highest February temperature
	Highest temperature in February 2007 (°C)		Previous highest for February		Years of record	Normal for February
Geeveston (Cemetery Road)	36.6	on the 18th	36.5	on the 25th in 1995	22	22.0

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Record highest February mean daily minimum temperature
	Mean daily minimum temperature for February 2007 (°C)	Previous highest for February		Years of record	Normal for February
Launceston Airport Comparison	13.2	12.9	in 1956	68	10.3
Burnie (Round Hill)	17.0	16.2	in 1956	58	13.1
Swansea Post Office	14.7	14.3	in 1999	51	11.7
Eddystone Point	16.7	16.1	in 1971	50	14.1
Flinders Island Airport	16.1	15.4	in 1999	44	13.6
Scottsdale (West Minstone Road)	14.5	13.3	in 2000	35	11.0
Bicheno (Council Depot)	15.3	= 15.3	in 1972	33	12.9
Launceston (Ti Tree Bend)	15.0	13.7	in 1999	24	11.9
Scamander	15.8	14.3	in 2001	23	12.7
Wynyard Airport	15.0	13.5	in 1999	22	11.2
Fingal (Legge Street)	12.6	12.5	in 1999	21	9.8

Highest February mean daily minimum temperature for at least 20 years
	Mean daily minimum temperature for February 2007 (°C)	Most recent higher for February		Years since higher	Normal for February
Cape Bruny Lighthouse	14.0	14.7	in 1972	35	11.7
Maatsuyker Island Lighthouse	13.0	14.0	in 1972	34	11.0
Bicheno (Council Depot)	15.3	15.3	in 1972	25	12.9

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Record highest February daily minimum temperature
	Highest daily minimum temperature in February 2007 (°C)		Previous highest for February		Years of record	Normal for February
Flinders Island Airport	21.4	on the 18th	= 21.4	on the 8th in 1975	45	13.6
Marrawah	20.6	on the 18th	19.8	on the 3rd in 2001	36	12.3
Wynyard Airport	20.2	on the 22nd	20.0	on the 24th in 1967	21	11.2

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Summaries

In the following table, some key sites have been highlighted to make them easier to find.

Summary statistics for February 2007
	Maximum temperatures for February (°C)				Minimum temperatures for February (°C)				Rainfall for February (millimetres)
	Mean for February 2007	Diff from normal	Highest for February 2007		Mean for February 2007	Diff from normal	Lowest for February 2007		Total for February 2007	Normal for February	Rank of February 2007	Fraction of February normal
Northern (district 91)
Bridport	23.8	+1.6	27.9	22nd	15.7	+2.6	10.9	8th	39.0	30.4	normal	128%
Burnie	23.1	+2.0	25.7	16th	17.0	+3.9	12.4	3rd	15.6	45.8	low	34%
Cape Grim BAPS	21.9	+2.4	28.0	17th	15.0	+1.3	9.5	1st	13.2	34.4	low	38%
Cressy Research Station	27.6		34.8	17th	13.1		3.4	1st	6.2
Devonport Airport	23.3	+2.0	27.2	22nd	15.6	+3.3	10.3	1st	18.2	36.4	normal	50%
Launceston	27.3	+2.9	32.3	17th	15.0	+3.1	8.4	1st	48.6	28.4	high	171%
Launceston Airport	27.4		34.0	17th	13.4		7.2	1st	21.8
Launceston Airport Comparison	26.5	+3.4	33.1	17th	13.2	+2.9	7.2	1st	23.4	38.7	normal	60%
Low Head	22.4	+1.5	25.9	22nd	16.1	+1.7	11.3	1st	23.2	23.9	normal	97%
Luncheon Hill	24.9	+4.1	32.3	17th	13.0	+2.3	6.8	1st	12.0	57.3	very low	21%
Marrawah	24.0	+3.3	30.9	17th	14.2	+1.9	8.2	7th	7.2	43.5	lowest	17%
Powranna	27.1	+3.1	34.1	17th	13.3	+2.7	4.5	1st	36.1	33.7	normal	107%
Scottsdale	24.9	+1.9	30.1	17th	14.5	+3.5	9.0	1st	77.0	39.8	high	193%
Sheffield School Farm	24.6	+3.5	31.6	17th	13.3	+2.8	8.1	1st	17.6	35.5	low	50%
Smithton Aerodrome	24.3	+2.7	27.7	17th	14.0	+2.6	5.0	1st	4.8	33.6	lowest	14%
Wynyard Airport	23.4	+2.1	26.1	17th	15.0	+3.8	8.9	1st	13.2	49.0	low	27%
East Coast (district 92)
Bicheno	22.1	+0.7	24.6	17th	15.3	+2.4	10.3	7th	41.8	56.7	normal	74%
Eddystone Point	23.2	+2.1	27.0	16th	16.7	+2.6	12.9	8th	45.8	46.2	normal	99%
Fingal	24.0	+1.1	34.6	17th	12.6	+2.7	6.7	7th	44.0	40.1	normal	110%
Friendly Beaches	23.0	0	31.1	17th	15.1	+1.9	11.0	7th	37.6	46.4	normal	81%
Lake Leake	20.0	+1.0	31.2	17th	10.0	+1.8	2.4	1st	20.4	45.7	low	45%
Maria Island	22.1		28.3	18th	15.5		12.2	7th	11.8
Orford	22.0	0	30.5	18th	14.0	+2.0	7.9	1st	17.2	44.7	low	38%
Scamander	21.2	−0.6	24.9	14th	15.8	+3.1	9.9	7th	58.0	34.9	high	166%
St Helens Aerodrome	21.9		27.7	17th	15.5		9.5	7th	70.0
Swan Island	21.8		26.9	17th	16.8		12.7	7th	42.6
Swansea Post Office	22.5	+0.3	30.3	17th	14.7	+2.9	9.2	2nd	23.4	42.3	normal	55%
Midlands (district 93)
Ross	27.0	+2.9	35.8	17th	12.9	+2.4	3.9	1st	13.2	36.4	low	36%
Southeast (district 94)
Bull Bay	22.3	+1.0	34.8	18th	13.7	+1.1	8.4	1st	37.2	41.5	normal	90%
Campania	25.1		36.2	18th	13.4		4.0	1st	30.6
Cape Bruny	21.8	+2.2	36.1	18th	13.9	+1.6	10.3	1st	11.6	61.8	lowest	19%
Cape Bruny Lighthouse	20.8	+2.3	35.0	18th	14.0	+2.4	10.8	1st	16.2	56.5	very low	29%
Dover	22.2	+1.6	36.8	18th	11.3	+0.9	4.9	1st	12.0	51.1	very low	23%
Geeveston	24.1	+2.1	36.6	18th	11.6	+1.9	3.2	1st	23.8	48.9	low	49%
Grove Comparison	24.7	+2.3	35.5	18th	11.2	+1.8	2.4	1st	52.4	46.4	high	113%
Grove	24.7		35.4	16th	10.6		1.4	1st	51.8
Hobart	22.8	+1.1	35.2	18th	14.4	+2.4	7.3	1st	24.4	39.9	normal	61%
Hobart Airport	23.6	+1.3	35.9	18th	14.3	+2.3	6.6	1st	35.8	36.0	normal	99%
Maatsuyker Island Lighthouse	19.5	+2.3	31.8	16th	13.0	+1.9	10.0	1st	10.0	70.1	lowest	14%
Melton Mowbray	25.2	+1.6	34.6	17th	12.2	+2.0	3.4	1st	49.2	34.6	high	142%
Mount Wellington	15.9	+2.2	25.4	17th	7.3	+2.0	0.3	1st	90.2	79.9	high	113%
Tasman Island	18.5		28.0	17th	13.2		8.5	1st	29.8
Tunnack Fire Station	23.0	+1.5	33.2	17th	10.9	+1.9	1.0	1st	23.0	43.5	normal	53%
Derwent Valley (district 95)
Bushy Park	26.9	+3.1	36.2	18th	11.3	+1.3	2.4	1st
Maydena Post Office	25.8	+3.6	35.0	16th	10.3	+1.4	2.0	1st	13.6	63.4	lowest	21%
Moogara	23.2	+3.5	32.5	18th	10.6	+2.0	3.5	1st	20.2	49.0	low	41%
Ouse Fire Station	27.6		36.6	17th	11.4		1.2	1st	28.4
Tarraleah Village	23.4	+3.7	31.9	17th	8.7	+1.7	−0.1	1st	15.8	60.4	very low	26%
Central Plateau (district 96)
Lake St Clair National Park	22.8	+3.7	31.0	17th	7.8	+1.8	0.0	1st	33.8	80.8	low	42%
Liawenee	21.0		29.1	17th	7.5		−1.5	1st	17.2
West Coast (district 97)
Hartz Mountain	21.1	+3.7	32.6	18th	9.1	+1.7	2.4	1st	24.0	59.9	low	40%
Mount Read	19.0	+5.2	27.0	17th	8.6	+2.6	1.9	6th	29.8	166.3	lowest	18%
Scotts Peak Dam	25.1		35.3	16th	11.1		5.2	1st	10.8
Strahan Aerodrome	24.6	+3.4	35.7	18th	11.9	+0.8	4.9	1st	17.6	63.7	low	28%
Strathgordon Village	23.9	+4.4	33.2	18th	11.0	+1.4	4.6	1st	15.8	108.7	lowest	15%
Warra	21.7		32.4	18th	10.2		2.5	1st	14.4
King Island (district 98)
King Island Airport	23.3	+2.4	34.4	18th	14.3	+1.4	4.1	1st	49.6	31.2	high	159%
Flinders Island (district 99)
Flinders Island Airport	24.8	+2.2	31.8	17th	16.1	+2.5	5.4	1st	49.4	38.9	normal	127%
Hogan Island	22.6		29.2	17th	16.9		12.6	1st	46.6
Macquarie Island (district 300)
Macquarie Island	8.4	−0.3	11.9	3rd	5.6	+0.3	3.3	9th	47.4	84.9	very low	56%

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Notes

Further information

Ian Barnes-Keoghan or Tom Delfatti
Tasmania and Antarctica Climate Services Centre
Bureau of Meteorology
Phone (03) 6221 2043
Email climate.tas@bom.gov.au