Monday, 3 December 2007 - Monthly Climate Summary for Tasmania - Product code IDCKGC17R0
Tasmania in November 2007: record dry and record warm
Summary
November 2007 was among the driest and warmest November on record for many parts of Tasmania, with a distinct shortage of rain-bearing systems and several very warm days.
A separate summary that covers all of spring 2007 has also been prepared. It is intended that the summaries for December and all of 2007 will be published on Wednesday 3 January 2008.
Jump to: Extremes Records Summaries Notes the top
Details
Record dry: Many sites across the state registered their driest November on record, or their driest for several decades. At several others (including Hobart) only 2003 had a drier November. The rainfall averaged over the whole state was the lowest for any November on record, mostly because of the very low totals received in the normally wet west. Monthly totals in the western highlands were commonly around 20 mm, in stark contrast to the more than 400 mm those areas received in October. Monthly totals of less than 10 mm were common through much of the Midlands, the southeast and the Derwent Valley. The main rainfall event during the month was the passage of a trough on the 20th, which triggered thunderstorms in many areas but still brought only a few millimetres to most areas.
Record warm days: Most days were warmer than normal, with the main exception during a burst of cold southerly winds from the 4th to the 8th. There were several very warm days, especially in the south and east, with some temperatures in the low 30s reported on the 16th, 19th and 20th. Several sites (including Launceston and Burnie) had their highest November mean daily maximum temperature on record, whilst for several others (including Hobart) it was the warmest since at least 1982. Means for the month were typically 2 to 3 degrees above the long-term averages, and when averaged across the state were the highest for November on record.
Very mild nights: Although minimum (overnight) temperatures were not record-breaking, they were still above average. There were some cold mornings, notably the 1st and the 5th, but these were more than offset by several mild nights in the second half of the month. Means for the month were mostly about a degree above the long-term averages, but were generally not as extreme as those from 2000, 2005 or 1975.
Few westerlies: High pressures systems controlled Tasmania's weather for most of the month, quite unlike the front-dominated October. Another result of this - apart from the dry west coast - was the small number of especially windy days; the windiest was the 20th when hot northerlies affected most of the state.
Further information
Ian Barnes-KeoghanTasmania and Antarctica Climate Services Centre
Bureau of Meteorology
Phone (03) 6221 2043
Email climate.tas@bom.gov.au
Extremes
| Hottest day Highest temperature |
34.5°C at Swansea Post Office on the 20th |
|---|---|
| Warmest days on average Highest mean daily maximum temperature |
23.6°C at Cressy Research Station and Ouse Fire Station |
| Coolest days on average Lowest mean daily maximum temperature | 12.2°C at Mount Wellington |
| Coldest day Lowest daily maximum temperature |
1.0°C at Mount Wellington on the 4th |
| Coldest night Lowest temperature | −2.8
°C at Mount Wellington on the 5th |
| Coolest nights on average Lowest mean daily minimum temperature | 3.2°C at Mount Wellington |
| Warmest nights on average Highest mean daily minimum temperature |
12.6°C at Hogan Island and Swan Island |
| Warmest night Highest daily minimum temperature | 19.6°C at Flinders Island Airport on the 20th |
| Wettest overall Highest total rainfall | 50.2 mm at Hogan Island |
| Driest overall Lowest total rainfall |
1.6 mm at Bothwell (Clyde River) |
| Wettest day Highest daily rainfall |
23.8 mm at Lake Margaret Power Station on the 21st |
| Highest wind gust |
117 km/h at Hogan Island on the 4th |
Jump to: Extremes Records Summaries Notes the top
Records
| Record lowest total November rainfall | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Total rainfall for November 2007 (mm) |
Previous lowest for November |
Years of record |
Normal for November |
||
| Cape Bruny Lighthouse | 9.6 | 21.6 | in 2000 | 137 | 75.3 |
| Oatlands Post Office | 5.6 | 6.9 | in 1900 | 121 | 50.3 |
| Maatsuyker Island Lighthouse | 11.0 | 18.4 | in 2000 | 116 | 92.0 |
| Premaydena Hatchery | 8.4 | 11.0 | in 1937 | 101 | 60.2 |
| Bothwell (Cluny) | 3.0 | 3.8 | in 1919 | 93 | 50.4 |
| Cape Sorell | 10.4 | = 10.4 | in 2000 | 85 | 88.6 |
| Bagdad Post Office | 1.8 | 3.8 | in 1989 | 82 | 53.4 |
| Waddamana Field Study Centre | 9.8 | 21.8 | in 1989 | 80 | 70.6 |
| City of Melbourne Bay | 12.4 | 17.1 | in 1959 | 74 | 69.5 |
| Tarraleah Village | 8.8 | 19.2 | in 2003 | 72 | 97.2 |
| Dover | 7.4 | 9.4 | in 2003 | 71 | 71.5 |
| Lake Margaret Power Station | 38.8 | 73.9 | in 2000 | 63 | 223.5 |
| Hastings Chalet | 10.3 | 17.0 | in 1989 | 62 | 111.4 |
| Glenorchy (Glenorchy Reservoir) | 4.4 | 6.6 | in 2003 | 58 | 66.5 |
| Woodbridge | 7.4 | 14.0 | in 2003 | 57 | 75.3 |
| Taroona (Taroona Crescent) | 3.8 | 4.0 | in 2003 | 45 | 55.8 |
| Savage River Mine | 26.0 | 47.8 | in 1988 | 40 | 130.8 |
| Strathgordon Village | 25.5 | 47.0 | in 2000 | 40 | 179.1 |
| Copping | 15.0 | 19.4 | in 1982 | 38 | 68.8 |
| Zeehan (West Coast Pioneers Museum) | 22.2 | 30.0 | in 2000 | 38 | 154.6 |
| Marrawah | 15.8 | 18.0 | in 2003 | 37 | 68.2 |
| Blackmans Bay Treatment Plant | 4.0 | 5.6 | in 2003 | 26 | 47.8 |
| Bull Bay (Lauriston) | 8.6 | = 8.6 | in 2003 | 25 | 49.0 |
| Nugent (Twilight Valley) | 17.2 | 19.4 | in 2003 | 24 | 65.9 |
| Campbell Town (Elizabeth R) | 18.2 | 18.6 | in 2006 | 21 | 52.3 |
| Cape Grim BAPS | 10.4 | 16.0 | in 2003 | 20 | 49.8 |
| Lowest total November rainfall for at least 20 years | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Total rainfall for November 2007 (mm) |
Most recent lower for November |
Years since lower |
Normal for November |
||
| Naracoopa | 13.4 | 7.6 | in 1918 | 87 | 66.5 |
| Lake Leake (Elizabeth River) | 21.4 | 20.0 | in 1979 | 27 | 63.4 |
| Pioneer (Main Road) | 20.0 | 18.9 | in 1982 | 25 | 66.7 |
| Swansea Post Office | 13.8 | 4.6 | in 1982 | 25 | 51.1 |
| Gray (Craigie-Lea) | 15.6 | 10.0 | in 1982 | 23 | 114.2 |
| Memana (Babel Farm) | 23.7 | 13.2 | in 1982 | 23 | 59.2 |
| Record highest November mean daily maximum temperature | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Mean daily maximum temperature for November 2007 (°C) |
Previous highest for November |
Years of record |
Normal for November |
||
| Launceston Airport Comparison | 21.8 | 21.3 | in 1982 | 69 | 18.7 |
| Burnie (Round Hill) | 20.0 | 19.8 | in 1982 | 59 | 17.7 |
| Grove (Comparison) | 20.9 | 20.8 | in 1982 | 52 | 18.5 |
| Launceston (Ti Tree Bend) | 22.5 | 22.2 | in 2000 | 25 | 20.3 |
| Mount Wellington | 12.2 | 12.1 | in 2000 | 24 | 8.9 |
| Fingal (Legge Street) | 21.5 | 21.4 | in 1997 | 22 | 19.3 |
| Geeveston (Cemetery Road) | 20.0 | = 20.0 | in 2000 | 22 | 18.1 |
| Wynyard Airport | 19.7 | 19.6 | in 2000 | 21 | 17.6 |
| Highest November mean daily maximum temperature for at least 20 years | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Mean daily maximum temperature for November 2007 (°C) |
Most recent higher for November |
Years since higher |
Normal for November |
||
| Bushy Park (Bushy Park Estates) | 23.3 | 23.4 | in 1937 | 65 | 19.7 |
| Eddystone Point | 19.4 | 19.4 | in 1982 | 25 | 17.7 |
| Hobart (Ellerslie Road) | 20.6 | 21.3 | in 1982 | 25 | 18.6 |
| Hobart Airport | 20.9 | 22.3 | in 1982 | 25 | 18.9 |
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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 November 2007 | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maximum temperatures for November (°C) |
Minimum temperatures for November (°C) |
Rainfall for November (millimetres) |
||||||||||
| Mean for November 2007 |
Diff from normal |
Highest for November 2007 |
Mean for November 2007 |
Diff from normal |
Lowest for November 2007 |
Total for November 2007 |
Normal for November |
Rank of November 2007 |
Fraction of November normal |
|||
| Northern (district 91) | ||||||||||||
| Bridport | 19.1 | +0.9 | 27.3 | 20th | 10.7 | +1.0 | 4.3 | 5th | 14.2 | 47.3 | very low | 30% |
| Burnie | 20.0 | +2.4 | 27.3 | 12th | 12.0 | +2.4 | 8.8 | 5th | 19.0 | 68.0 | very low | 28% |
| Cape Grim BAPS | 17.4 | +1.7 | 22.4 | 17th | 11.4 | +0.9 | 8.2 | 6th | 10.4 | 49.8 | lowest | 21% |
| Cressy Research Station | 23.6 | 31.3 | 20th | 7.5 | −0.7 | 1st | 18.2 | |||||
| Devonport Airport | 19.1 | +1.7 | 25.7 | 20th | 10.1 | +1.3 | 3.3 | 1st | 11.2 | 55.8 | very low | 20% |
| Launceston | 22.5 | +2.2 | 30.4 | 20th | 10.8 | +2.1 | 3.6 | 1st | 19.6 | 47.9 | very low | 41% |
| Launceston Airport | 22.2 | 31.9 | 20th | 8.9 | 2.6 | 5th | 26.6 | |||||
| Launceston Airport Comparison | 21.8 | +3.0 | 30.8 | 20th | 8.9 | +1.8 | 1.6 | 1st | 34.6 | 49.7 | low | 70% |
| Low Head | 18.2 | +1.0 | 23.1 | 20th | 11.9 | +0.8 | 7.5 | 5th | 14.2 | 35.1 | low | 40% |
| Luncheon Hill | 19.5 | +2.6 | 27.4 | 16th | 8.8 | +1.5 | 4.9 | 3rd | 21.0 | 86.7 | very low | 24% |
| Marrawah | 18.3 | +1.8 | 22.8 | 20th | 10.1 | +1.0 | 6.0 | 1st | 15.8 | 68.2 | lowest | 23% |
| Powranna | 22.9 | +3.4 | 32.0 | 20th | 9.1 | +2.4 | 1.2 | 1st | 21.4 | 50.6 | very low | 42% |
| Scottsdale | 20.2 | +1.5 | 30.5 | 20th | 8.7 | +1.1 | 1.8 | 5th | 25.8 | 68.9 | very low | 37% |
| Sheffield School Farm | 19.7 | +1.9 | 26.7 | 20th | 8.3 | +1.0 | 2.1 | 1st | 21.8 | |||
| Smithton Aerodrome | 19.9 | +1.8 | 26.7 | 17th | 9.9 | +1.5 | 2.0 | 1st | 7.6 | 49.2 | very low | 15% |
| Wynyard Airport | 19.7 | +2.1 | 27.2 | 20th | 9.5 | +1.7 | 2.7 | 1st | 23.2 | 74.1 | very low | 31% |
| East Coast (district 92) | ||||||||||||
| Bicheno | 19.2 | +0.9 | 25.2 | 20th | 11.3 | +1.4 | 7.1 | 10th | 19.0 | 56.7 | low | 34% |
| Eddystone Point | 19.4 | +1.7 | 29.6 | 19th | 12.2 | +1.5 | 8.4 | 5th | 30.4 | 58.5 | low | 52% |
| Fingal | 21.5 | +2.1 | 33.9 | 20th | 8.1 | +1.1 | 0.2 | 1st | 21.2 | 44.3 | low | 48% |
| Friendly Beaches | 20.4 | +0.9 | 27.8 | 20th | 10.8 | +0.9 | 6.9 | 5th | 16.0 | 57.3 | very low | 28% |
| Lake Leake | 17.4 | +2.0 | 30.8 | 20th | 6.2 | +1.1 | 0.2 | 1st | 21.4 | 63.4 | very low | 34% |
| Maria Island | 19.1 | 26.4 | 19th | 11.4 | 8.3 | 5th | 7.0 | |||||
| Orford | 19.4 | +0.8 | 29.0 | 20th | 9.4 | +0.4 | 4.8 | 1st | 11.0 | 64.4 | very low | 17% |
| Scamander | 20.1 | +1.2 | 33.0 | 20th | 7.2 | 1st | 28.0 | 59.9 | low | 47% | ||
| St Helens Aerodrome | 20.4 | 31.7 | 19th | 11.0 | 6.0 | 1st | 23.8 | |||||
| Swan Island | 17.7 | 24.7 | 20th | 12.6 | 7.8 | 5th | 29.0 | |||||
| Swansea Post Office | 20.4 | +1.4 | 34.5 | 20th | 10.0 | +1.1 | 5.9 | 1st | 13.8 | 51.1 | low | 27% |
| Midlands (district 93) | ||||||||||||
| Ross | 23.4 | +3.8 | 33.1 | 20th | 8.2 | +1.8 | 0.0 | 1st | 17.0 | 42.0 | very low | 40% |
| Southeast (district 94) | ||||||||||||
| Bull Bay | 19.2 | +1.4 | 28.0 | 20th | 9.3 | +0.2 | 6.0 | 1st | 8.6 | 49.0 | lowest | 18% |
| Campania | 22.6 | 32.8 | 20th | 9.1 | 2.1 | 1st | 2.0 | |||||
| Cape Bruny | 17.9 | +1.3 | 26.8 | 20th | 10.1 | +0.6 | 7.2 | 3rd | 8.2 | 47.6 | very low | 17% |
| Cape Bruny Lighthouse | 16.9 | +1.4 | 25.7 | 20th | 10.4 | +1.4 | 7.5 | 3rd | 9.6 | 75.3 | lowest | 13% |
| Dover | 18.7 | +1.3 | 26.7 | 20th | 7.9 | +0.1 | 3.6 | 3rd | 7.4 | 71.5 | lowest | 10% |
| Geeveston | 20.0 | +1.9 | 30.2 | 20th | 8.6 | +1.1 | 3.4 | 1st | 10.0 | 69.6 | very low | 14% |
| Grove | 20.9 | +2.4 | 32.1 | 20th | 7.8 | +0.7 | 0.9 | 1st | 6.8 | 65.9 | very low | 10% |
| Grove | 20.7 | 32.5 | 20th | 6.7 | 0.0 | 1st | 7.2 | |||||
| Hobart | 20.6 | +2.0 | 30.1 | 20th | 10.5 | +1.3 | 5.8 | 1st | 7.0 | 53.7 | very low | 13% |
| Hobart Airport | 20.9 | +2.0 | 33.7 | 20th | 10.3 | +1.2 | 6.5 | 1st | 3.6 | 42.8 | very low | 8% |
| Maatsuyker Island Lighthouse | 15.0 | +0.6 | 21.7 | 18th | 10.0 | +1.6 | 7.1 | 5th | 11.0 | 92.0 | lowest | 12% |
| Melton Mowbray | 22.1 | +2.5 | 32.3 | 20th | 7.9 | +0.7 | 0.2 | 1st | 3.2 | 33.8 | very low | 9% |
| Mount Wellington | 12.2 | +3.3 | 22.0 | 20th | 3.2 | +1.8 | −2.8 | 5th | 30.8 | 79.2 | low | 39% |
| Tasman Island | 16.0 | 27.6 | 19th | 9.4 | 5.6 | 5th | 14.0 | |||||
| Tunnack Fire Station | 19.8 | +2.7 | 29.0 | 16th | 6.8 | +1.1 | −1.0 | 1st | 12.2 | 46.1 | low | 26% |
| Derwent Valley (district 95) | ||||||||||||
| Bushy Park | 23.3 | +3.5 | 33.5 | 19th | 8.1 | +0.6 | 0.5 | 1st | 6.6 | 53.1 | very low | 12% |
| Maydena Post Office | 20.3 | +2.6 | 31.0 | 19th | 7.1 | +0.8 | 0.2 | 5th | 15.6 | 90.9 | very low | 17% |
| Moogara | 18.5 | +3.1 | 27.0 | 19th | 6.9 | +1.6 | 2.0 | 1st | 8.2 | 68.3 | very low | 12% |
| Ouse Fire Station | 23.6 | +2.8 | 33.5 | 19th | 7.2 | +0.4 | −0.5 | 1st | 6.6 | 33.7 | low | 20% |
| Tarraleah Village | 19.4 | +3.4 | 29.2 | 19th | 6.3 | +1.7 | 0.0 | 1st | 8.8 | 97.2 | lowest | 9% |
| Central Plateau (district 96) | ||||||||||||
| Lake St Clair National Park | 19.1 | +4.0 | 27.7 | 19th | 4.1 | +0.7 | −2.6 | 1st | 24.8 | 137.5 | very low | 18% |
| Liawenee | 17.9 | 25.6 | 19th | 4.2 | −1.4 | 5th | 8.4 | |||||
| West Coast (district 97) | ||||||||||||
| Hartz Mountain | 16.4 | +2.8 | 29.1 | 19th | 5.1 | +1.0 | 0.3 | 4th | 17.0 | 64.6 | very low | 26% |
| Mount Read | 13.5 | +3.0 | 20.2 | 19th | 4.4 | +1.6 | 0.4 | 1st | 39.4 | |||
| Scotts Peak Dam | 20.5 | +3.2 | 31.1 | 19th | 7.8 | +1.3 | 3.3 | 3rd | 11.4 | |||
| Strahan Aerodrome | 18.9 | +1.4 | 25.4 | 19th | 9.0 | +0.9 | 3.3 | 3rd | 18.6 | 91.0 | low | 20% |
| Strathgordon Village | 18.3 | +2.3 | 28.6 | 19th | 8.4 | +1.5 | 3.8 | 3rd | 25.5 | 179.1 | lowest | 14% |
| Warra | 17.6 | 29.5 | 20th | 6.7 | 2.4 | 3rd | 15.4 | |||||
| King Island (district 98) | ||||||||||||
| King Island Airport | 18.5 | +1.5 | 24.7 | 19th | 10.7 | +0.9 | 5.1 | 1st | 14.2 | 56.1 | very low | 25% |
| Flinders Island (district 99) | ||||||||||||
| Flinders Island Airport | 19.9 | +1.5 | 30.7 | 20th | 11.2 | +1.1 | 3.6 | 6th | 24.0 | 54.4 | very low | 44% |
| Hogan Island | 18.0 | 27.9 | 19th | 12.6 | 9.6 | 5th | 50.2 | |||||
| Macquarie Island (district 300) | ||||||||||||
| Macquarie Island | 6.6 | +0.1 | 8.2 | 20th | 2.9 | +0.2 | −3.4 | 5th | 69.0 | 70.3 | normal | 98% |
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Notes
This statement has been prepared based on information available at 10 am on Monday 3 December 2007. Some checks have been made on the data, but it is possible that results will change as new information becomes available.
Normals are long-term means based
on observations
from all available years of record, which vary widely from site to
site.
They are not shown for sites with less than 10 years of record, as they
cannot then be calculated reliably.
The median
is sometimes more representative than the
mean
of "normal" rain.
The Rank indicates how rainfall
this time compares
with the climate record for the site,
based on the decile
ranking (very low rainfall is in decile 1,
low in decile 2 or 3,
normal in decile 4 to 7, high in
decile 8 or 9 and very high is in decile 10).
The Fraction of normal shows how much
rain has fallen this time as a
percentage
of the long-term mean.
Further information
Ian Barnes-KeoghanTasmania and Antarctica Climate Services Centre
Bureau of Meteorology
Phone (03) 6221 2043
Email climate.tas@bom.gov.au