Friday, 1 June 2007 - Monthly Climate Summary for Tasmania - Product code IDCKGC17R0

Tasmania in May 2007:
The warmest May on record

Summary

Tasmania had its warmest May on record in 2007. Both maximum and minimum temperatures were well above average, with few cold outbreaks ensuring there were far more warm days and far fewer cold ones than normal. After many dry months, there was considerable rain in the north and west.

A separate summary has also been prepared for autumn and a national overview for May will be available next week. 

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Details

Maximum temperature records smashed: Although the month ended with a cold snap, mean maximum (daytime) temperatures were at or near record highs for May across the state. Temperatures were about 1.5°C above the May average in the north, but over 3°C above average in the southeast. Hobart's record of the last 125 years was just one of those broken. Less "cold outbreaks" (where cold air from the far south is transported across the state) meant there were far fewer cold days, and far more warm days than in is typical for May. In a normal May in Hobart, at least half the days don't reach 15°C: in 2007 there were only six such cold days (in Launceston there were only five, compared to an average of ten). Hobart had four times as many days over 18°C than is usual for May. But there were no especially hot days: the highest for the month was 22.4°C at Campania on the 15th, well short of the 27.4°C recorded on Flinders Island in 1997.

Minimum temperature records also smashed: Mean minimum (overnight) temperatures were also at or near record highs for May, at about 2 to 3°C above average; sites with a long history were among those to set new May mean minimum temperature records. There were no particularly warm nights, but persistent and sometimes quite string northwesterly winds meant almost all nights were warmer than average. The temperature did not once drop below 5°C in Hobart:in a normal May there are about seven nights that cold. Meanwhile, Hobart had a record twenty nights above 10°C compared to an average of just five; Launceston had eleven compared to an average of four. Similar tales were told across the state. Lake St Clair's −1.7°C on the 7th pales when compared to the record −10.5°C recorded at Liawenee last year.

Very wet in the north and west: Although there were few cold outbreaks, moist northwesterly winds brought moderate to heavy rain to the north and west of the state, with many sites reporting almost twice their normal rainfall for the month and totals of around 200 mm common in the northwest. Some places in the north, including Launceston, had their wettest May on record, with some others having their wettest May for many years. Several sites in the north and west had their wettest month for quite a while: Burnie's 175 mm was the wettest there since August 2001. However, these falls by themselves have not been enough to remove the long-term rainfall deficiencies being experienced in many parts of the state. Rain was below average on the southeast coast, with some sites reporting less than 10 mm for the month.

Windy as well:  It was also a very windy month, with gale force winds registered somewhere in the state every day of the month, and storm force winds registered on at least 13 days. This was due to the same persistent northwesterly winds that kept minimum temperatures and rainfall up. The 6th, 9th, 19th and 30th were particularly windy with gusts over 150 km/h recorded at some sites on these days.  

Further information

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	22.4°C at Campania (Kincora) on the 15th
Warmest days on average Highest mean daily maximum temperature	19.0°C at Bicheno (Council Depot)
Coolest days on average Lowest mean daily maximum temperature	8.4°C at Mount Read
Coldest day Lowest daily maximum temperature	2.3°C at Mount Wellington on the 31st
Coldest night Lowest temperature	−1.7°C at Lake St Clair National Park on the 7th
Coolest nights on average Lowest mean daily minimum temperature	2.5°C at Liawenee
Warmest nights on average Highest mean daily minimum temperature	12.8°C at Hogan Island
Warmest night Highest daily minimum temperature	16.7°C at Flinders Island Airport on the 29th
Wettest overall Highest total rainfall	593.2 mm at Mount Read
Driest overall Lowest total rainfall	9.0 mm at Premaydena Hatchery
Wettest day Highest daily rainfall	71.2 mm at Strathgordon Village on the 5th
Highest wind gust	157 km/h at Maatsuyker Island on the 30th

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Records

Record highest total May rainfall
	Total rainfall for May 2007 (mm)	Previous highest for May		Years of record	Normal for May
Barrington Post Office	239.8	229.3	in 1965	41	106.7
Scottsdale (West Minstone Road)	207.4	181.4	in 1997	36	103.0
Westbury (Birralee Road)	141.4	139.0	in 1997	30	71.0
Launceston (Ti Tree Bend)	140.6	138.8	in 1985	28	64.5

Highest total May rainfall for at least 20 years
	Total rainfall for May 2007 (mm)	Most recent higher for May		Years since higher	Normal for May
Launceston Airport Comparison	128.6	183.6	in 1958	49	60.8
Ringarooma (Fry Street)	276.8	402.0	in 1958	47	118.4
Mole Creek	257.1	269.3	in 1965	42	111.1
Pioneer (Main Road)	194.6	236.4	in 1969	38	95.3
City of Melbourne Bay	180.6	201.6	in 1975	32	108.5
Yolla (Sea View)	291.4	305.6	in 1975	32	144.1
Memana (Babel Farm)	135.6	232.4	in 1974	31	82.4
Irishtown	223.8	254.8	in 1975	27	122.9
Wynyard Airport	216.4	313.6	in 1958	24	99.4
Oatlands Post Office	66.8	83.8	in 1986	21	42.9

Record lowest total May rainfall
	Total rainfall for May 2007 (mm)	Previous lowest for May		Years of record	Normal for May
Premaydena Hatchery	9.0	9.4	in 1991	102	65.6

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Record highest May temperature
	Highest temperature in May 2007 (°C)		Previous highest for May		Years of record	Normal for May
Mount Wellington	14.9	on the 11th	14.4	on the 5th in 1972	28	5.4

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Record highest May mean daily maximum temperature
	Mean daily maximum temperature for May 2007 (°C)	Previous highest for May		Years of record	Normal for May
Hobart (Ellerslie Road)	17.3	16.9	in 1980	126	14.4
Cape Bruny Lighthouse	16.2	15.4	in 1999	82	13.4
Bushy Park (Bushy Park Estates)	17.1	17.0	in 1939	73	14.2
Grove (Comparison)	17.2	16.6	in 1999	53	14.5
Swansea Post Office	18.2	17.8	in 1999	51	15.9
Eddystone Point	17.8	17.3	in 2002	49	15.7
Hobart Airport	18.0	17.4	in 1999	49	15.1
Orford (Aubin Court)	17.6	17.4	in 1972	39	15.7
Bicheno (Council Depot)	19.0	17.9	in 1972	33	16.4
Mount Wellington	8.4	8.0	in 1993	28	5.4
Launceston (Ti Tree Bend)	16.6	= 16.6	in 1980	26	15.7
Scamander	18.7	17.7	in 1980	24	16.5
Tarraleah Village	13.5	12.3	in 1999	24	11.0
Wynyard Airport	16.6	16.2	in 2003	23	14.9
Fingal (Legge Street)	16.9	16.8	in 1999	22	15.2
Geeveston (Cemetery Road)	16.5	15.7	in 1999	21	14.5

Highest May mean daily maximum temperature for at least 20 years
	Mean daily maximum temperature for May 2007 (°C)	Most recent higher for May		Years since higher	Normal for May
Burnie (Round Hill)	16.6	16.9	in 1974	33	15.3
Launceston Airport Comparison	15.2	15.5	in 1980	27	14.0
Maatsuyker Island Lighthouse	14.6	14.8	in 1980	27	12.7
Flinders Island Airport	17.6	17.7	in 1980	26	16.2

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Record highest May daily minimum temperature
	Highest daily minimum temperature in May 2007 (°C)		Previous highest for May		Years of record	Normal for May
Mount Wellington	10.2	on the 12th	9.7	on the 5th in 1972	28	0.4

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Record highest May mean daily minimum temperature
	Mean daily minimum temperature for May 2007 (°C)	Previous highest for May		Years of record	Normal for May
Hobart (Ellerslie Road)	10.0	9.4	in 1999	125	6.9
Cape Bruny Lighthouse	10.5	10.3	in 1939	83	8.2
Grove (Comparison)	7.6	6.9	in 1973	52	4.2
Swansea Post Office	9.0	8.9	in 1988	51	6.2
Hobart Airport	9.3	8.9	in 1988	49	6.5
Orford (Aubin Court)	8.9	8.8	in 1988	39	6.2
Strathgordon Village	7.6	7.3	in 1980	37	5.4
Marrawah	11.2	10.8	in 1988	36	9.0
Bicheno (Council Depot)	10.7	9.8	in 1988	33	8.4
Mount Wellington	3.1	2.4	in 1999	28	0.4
Launceston (Ti Tree Bend)	8.8	7.7	in 1980	26	5.0
Scamander	10.1	9.2	in 1980	24	7.5
Wynyard Airport	7.1	6.8	in 1999	23	5.0
Geeveston (Cemetery Road)	7.6	7.0	in 1999	21	4.4

Highest May mean daily minimum temperature for at least 20 years
	Mean daily minimum temperature for May 2007 (°C)	Most recent higher for May		Years since higher	Normal for May
Maatsuyker Island Lighthouse	10.3	10.6	in 1980	27	8.4

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Summaries

In this table, key sites have been highlighted to make them easier to find. This table is very wide and may not fit if printed.

Summary statistics for May 2007
	Maximum temperatures for May (°C)				Minimum temperatures for May (°C)				Rainfall for May (millimetres)
	Mean for May 2007	Diff from normal	Highest for May 2007		Mean for May 2007	Diff from normal	Lowest for May 2007		Total for May 2007	Normal for May	Rank of May 2007	Fraction of May normal
Northern (district 91)
Bridport	16.7	+0.9	19.1	15th	10.0	+2.3	5.7	22nd	155.5	66.8	very high	233%
Burnie	16.6	+1.4	20.0	11th	10.6	+2.3	6.6	23rd	175.2	94.8	very high	185%
Cape Grim BAPS	15.9	+1.4	18.2	16th	11.9	+1.9	7.9	30th	139.0	77.0	high	181%
Cressy Research Station	15.5		19.7	15th	7.2		0.7	7th	100.6
Devonport Airport	16.4	+1.3	18.0	3rd	9.8	+3.2	4.7	22nd	117.8	76.1	high	155%
Launceston	16.6	+0.9	20.0	15th	8.8	+3.8	3.9	7th	140.6	64.5	highest	218%
Launceston Airport	15.8		19.9	15th	7.2		2.8	23rd	120.0
Launceston Airport Comparison	15.2	+1.2	18.8	15th	7.6	+3.1	2.5	7th	128.6	60.8	very high	212%
Low Head	16.6	+1.4	18.4	3rd	11.7	+2.5	8.0	7th	99.6	55.7	high	179%
Luncheon Hill	14.1	+1.1	19.3	14th	8.6	+1.8	4.5	30th	310.0	168.5	very high	184%
Marrawah	15.9	+1.2	18.2	15th	11.2	+2.1	7.5	7th	156.4	104.3	high	150%
Powranna	15.5	+1.1	19.0	15th	6.6	+2.7	0.5	7th	93.7	45.9	very high	204%
Scottsdale	15.7	+0.8	19.0	15th	8.1	+2.3	3.5	10th	207.4	103.0	highest	201%
Sheffield School Farm	14.5	+1.0	19.9	11th	7.5	+2.1	3.3	7th
Smithton Aerodrome	16.7	+1.4	19.0	16th	8.9	+3.0	2.6	7th	167.2	84.5	very high	198%
Wynyard Airport	16.6	+1.7	20.1	11th	7.1	+2.1	2.6	23rd	216.4	99.4	very high	218%
East Coast (district 92)
Bicheno	19.0	+2.6	21.7	26th	10.7	+2.4	7.5	7th	19.4	56.5	low	34%
Eddystone Point	17.8	+2.1	21.2	17th	11.4	+1.7	6.8	22nd	84.0	67.0	high	125%
Fingal	16.9	+1.8	20.8	15th	5.6	+2.8	−0.2	12th	57.8	50.3	high	115%
Friendly Beaches	18.0	+2.2	21.1	11th	10.3	+2.3	7.1	15th
Lake Leake	13.5	+2.3	19.2	11th	4.6	+2.5	−1.2	15th	105.2	74.2	high	142%
Maria Island	17.6		20.9	11th	11.7		8.6	22nd	12.8
Orford	17.6	+1.9	21.8	15th	8.9	+2.8	4.8	7th	29.2	58.9	normal	50%
Scamander	18.7	+2.2	20.8	26th	10.1	+2.6	6.8	10th	52.1	55.4	normal	94%
St Helens Aerodrome	17.9		21.8	15th	9.6		6.1	10th	62.4
Swan Island	17.1		19.3	3rd	12.4		8.3	22nd	176.8
Swansea Post Office	18.2	+2.4	21.4	15th	9.0	+2.9	4.8	15th	10.0	46.7	low	21%
Midlands (district 93)
Ross	16.0	+1.9	20.8	29th	7.0	+3.8	−0.2	7th	62.8	26.8	very high	234%
Southeast (district 94)
Bull Bay	17.3	+2.3	22.0	26th	9.6	+1.6	5.5	22nd	25.0	38.7	low	65%
Campania	18.4		22.4	15th	8.5		3.8	12th	25.2
Cape Bruny	16.4	+2.3	20.2	26th	10.6	+2.1	6.3	22nd	36.4	53.0	low	69%
Cape Bruny Lighthouse	16.2	+2.8	19.6	26th	10.5	+2.3	6.4	22nd	49.0	84.4	low	58%
Dover	16.4	+1.8	21.4	15th	8.6	+2.8	2.6	22nd	56.0	71.8	normal	78%
Geeveston	16.5	+2.0	20.2	15th	7.6	+3.2	1.5	22nd	86.6	71.8	high	121%
Grove	17.2	+2.7	20.0	3rd	7.6	+3.3	0.9	22nd	35.0	59.9	normal	58%
Grove	17.2		20.0	3rd	7.3		0.3	22nd	36.6
Hobart	17.3	+2.9	20.9	11th	10.0	+3.1	5.1	22nd	31.2	46.8	normal	67%
Hobart Airport	18.0	+2.9	22.0	11th	9.3	+2.8	5.1	22nd	16.8	34.9	low	48%
Maatsuyker Island Lighthouse	14.6	+1.9	18.2	1st	10.3	+2.0	6.7	22nd	160.4	115.8	high	139%
Melton Mowbray	16.7	+2.6	21.3	15th	7.1	+2.9	1.7	15th	34.0	25.9	high	131%
Mount Wellington	8.4	+2.9	14.9	11th	3.1	+2.7	−1.5	31st	42.0	63.9	low	66%
Tasman Island	15.5		20.0	15th	10.4		6.9	31st	18.6
Tunnack Fire Station	14.7	+2.5	19.7	11th	6.6	+3.1	1.8	14th	44.4	41.4	normal	107%
Derwent Valley (district 95)
Bushy Park	17.1	+2.9	21.7	26th	6.0	+2.0	0.6	22nd
Maydena Post Office	14.7	+1.7	19.0	17th	6.6	+2.5	2.4	7th	150.0	98.9	high	152%
Moogara	13.6	+2.7	18.6	15th	6.1	+2.1	2.0	31st	64.6	60.4	normal	107%
Ouse Fire Station	16.8		20.6	26th	5.8		−0.1	12th	45.0
Tarraleah Village	13.5	+2.6	18.9	15th	4.3	+2.0	−1.3	7th	112.6	103.0	high	109%
Central Plateau (district 96)
Lake St Clair National Park	12.1	+1.9	17.3	15th	3.6	+2.1	−1.7	7th	295.6	171.4	high	172%
Liawenee	11.1		20.1	11th	2.5		−1.6	7th	184.8
West Coast (district 97)
Hartz Mountain	10.2	+1.6	17.7	14th	5.2	+1.9	0.5	30th	97.4
Mount Read	8.4	+2.0	14.0	11th	3.7	+1.6	−0.7	30th	593.2	413.9	high	143%
Scotts Peak Dam	13.1		17.8	1st	7.3		3.7	22nd	226.8
Strahan Aerodrome	15.6	+1.4	22.1	15th	10.1	+2.8	6.7	22nd	253.6	136.0	very high	186%
Strathgordon Village			17.0	27th	7.6	+2.2	3.2	22nd	410.0	242.8	high	169%
Warra	13.0		17.8	15th	6.9		2.4	22nd	224.4
King Island (district 98)
King Island Airport	16.9	+1.5	20.5	14th	11.6	+2.6	6.8	13th	127.4	86.4	high	147%
Flinders Island (district 99)
Flinders Island Airport	17.6	+1.5	20.7	15th	11.4	+2.5	5.4	14th	139.2	80.9	high	172%
Hogan Island	17.0		19.3	16th	12.8		6.8	22nd	75.4
Macquarie Island (district 300)
Macquarie Island	6.6	+0.7	9.1	4th	3.0	+0.5	−3.7	16th	119.2	83.6	very high	143%

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Notes

Further information

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