Monday, 2 August 2010 - Monthly Climate Summary for Tasmania - Product code IDCKGC27R0

Tasmania in July 2010: Record warm days, record dry in the southeast

Cold fronts affecting Tasmania in July were mostly weak so that it was drier and warmer than normal, especially in the southeast where several records were broken. There were no very cold days, but several very cold nights. Rainfall was mostly confined to the north, west and far south.

• Warmest July days on average for Tasmania
• Record dry in the southeast
• Very little snow

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top

Warm winter days

July was notable for its lack of particularly cold days, especially in the southeast. As a result, average daytime temperatures were mostly one to two degrees warmer than usual in the southeast and around a degree warmer than usual elsewhere. Some sites, including Hobart and Bushy Park, had their warmest July mean maximum temperature on record. 

The highest temperature for the month was 18.4 °C at Bicheno on the 12th — a day when north to northwesterly winds blew over the state ahead of a cold front. Most sites reached at least 15 °C on this day, and some had their warmest July day in around five years. It was also warm on the 11th, 13th, 22nd, 26-27th and 30-31st. Even on the coldest day of the month all sites in the state (including Mount Wellington) managed to exceed 0 °C. This hasn't happened in July for over 20 years.

Despite it being generally warm, the central north and Midlands did have a few very cold days at the start of the month. Fog persisted well into the afternoon on the 2nd and Ross struggled to reach 4.0 °C, its coldest day in over 15 years. On the same day, Launceston had its coldest day since July 2007, reaching only 7.8 °C, and Cressy had its coldest July day since 1999, reaching just 5.5 °C. Cressy was only slightly warmer on the 5th, when its maximum temperature was 5.6 °C.

Continuing cold nights

Cold and frosty nights were much more common than mild ones. The overall pattern was similar to June: average overnight temperatures in the east were mostly cooler than usual while nights in the west were warmer than usual, typically around a degree. The southern Midlands and inland parts of the east were especially cold, with mean minima around two degrees below average. The southwest was the warmest compared to usual, with Maatsuyker Island equalling its highest July mean daily minimum temperature on record.

Very cold nights were common. Ross, for example, had 9 nights when the temperature fell to -3 °C or less — usually this occurs just 3 times in July. Fingal had only 10 nights when the temperature did not fall below 0 °C. But it was Liawenee that had the coldest nights on average (-1.5 °C), as well as the coldest overnight temperature (-7.9 °C on the 25th).

The windiest mornings were the mildest, namely the 11-12th in the north and 27th in the south. Swan Island had the warmest night, not falling below 12.6 °C in the 24 hours to 9 am on the 12th. Several other sites had double-digit minima on this day.

Still dry in the southeast

Very little rain fell in the southeast during July. Several sites, including Taroona and Huonville, had their driest July on record or their driest July in many years after receiving only 5 to 10 mm for the month. Hobart Airport was the driest location with a total of just 4.0 mm. Most other areas were also drier than usual, with the only a few spots in the northeast and central west having near normal rainfall.

Between the 10th and 14th three cold fronts crossed the state, bringing the best rain of the month. The wettest single day was the 11th when several sites had over 50 mm, including Western Creek (58 mm), Mole Creek (57 mm) and Mount Barrow (56 mm). Widespread falls of 30 to 50 mm in the Mount Arthur - Mount Barrow area caused minor flooding in the North Esk River. The following day, Mount Read (in the western highlands) received 56 mm as showers persisted. Then on the 14th minor flooding developed in the South Esk River after a further 25 to 35 mm fell in the northeast overnight. The best snowfalls for the month followed, but only descended to around the 700 metre level.

Hobart — mild, dry and sunny 

As with most of the southeast, Hobart was warm by day and very dry. Only 5.8 mm of rain fell for the whole month, making it the driest July since 1950 (and the second driest July in 129 years of record). It has also been the warmest and driest January-to-July period on record, with just 141 mm falling for the year so far after below-average rainfall in every month.

Dry conditions and more sun than usual combined to make days warmer than ever before (records began in 1882, with compatible instruments installed in 1895). Hobart's average maximum temperature was 13.9 °C, which is over two degrees warmer than usual. Days were not especially warm (the highest temperature of 16.4 °C was about normal), but the lack of cold was remarkable: the coldest day reached 11.6 °C whereas typically half the month is at least that cold. 

Overnight temperatures in Hobart were just slightly warmer than usual, with an average minimum of 5.0 °C. The coldest temperature was 1.2 °C early on the 9th, and the warmest night was 10.6 °C on the 12th — the warmest July night since 2005.

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Extremes in July 2010
Hottest day	18.4 °C at Bicheno (Council Depot) on the 12th
Warmest days on average	15.5 °C at Bicheno (Council Depot)
Coolest days on average	3.8 °C at Mount Wellington
Coldest day	0.2 °C at Mount Wellington on the 15th
Coldest night	-7.9 °C at Liawenee on the 25th
Coolest nights on average	-1.5 °C at Liawenee
Warmest nights on average	9.5 °C at Hogan Island
Warmest night	12.6 °C at Swan Island on the 12th
Warmest on average overall	11.4 °C at Hogan Island
Coolest on average overall	1.6 °C at Mount Wellington
Wettest overall	384.4 mm at Mount Read
Driest overall	4.0 mm at Hobart Airport
Wettest day	58.0 mm at Western Creek (Somer Hill) on the 11th
Highest wind gust	119 km/h at Mount Wellington on the 12th

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top

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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

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Record lowest total July rainfall
	Total rainfall for July 2010 (mm)	Previous driest for July		Years of record	Average for July
Hobart Airport	4.0	8.6	in 1979	53	43.2
Taroona (Taroona Crescent)	9.0	12.6	in 1965	47	53.1
Huonville (Tutton Avenue)	16.8	24.2	in 1973	41	72.6
Rotherwood	13.2	22.5	in 1976	39	49.8
Nugent (Twilight Valley)	14.6	27.2	in 1994	28	78.0
Bull Bay (Lauriston)	8.8	25.6	in 1997	27	53.9
Tea Tree (The Point)	7.0	12.4	in 1997	25	42.1

Lowest total July rainfall for at least 20 years
	Total rainfall for July 2010 (mm)	Most recent July at least this dry		Years since drier	Average for July
Eaglehawk Neck (Jetty Road)	25.4	11.7	in 1924	78	88.3
Bushy Park (Bushy Park Estates)	9.2	7.2	in 1933	76	49.1
Lunawanna	33.6	33.5	in 1944	63	84.9
Hobart (Ellerslie Road)	5.8	4.4	in 1950	60	52.0
Tarraleah Village	48.0	24.4	in 1957	53	116.0
Levendale	17.0	12.9	in 1940	43	60.9
Fort Direction	10.0	8.6	in 1965	38	44.6
Lake Leake (Elizabeth River)	27.0	24.6	in 1979	31	77.7
Hastings Chalet	71.2	=71.2	in 1979	28	143.4
Risdon Vale (Poplar Road)	7.0	6.3	in 1965	25	42.0

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Record highest July temperature
	Highest temperature in July 2010 (°C)		Previous warmest for July		Years of record	Average for July
Macquarie Island	8.3	on the 14th	= 8.3	on the 20th in 1973	63	4.9

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Record highest July mean daily maximum temperature
	Mean daily maximum temperature for July 2010 (°C)	Previous warmest for July		Years of record	Average for July
Hobart (Ellerslie Road)	13.9	13.7	in 2002	128	11.7
Bushy Park (Bushy Park Estates)	13.7	= 13.7	in 2005	73	11.1
Hobart Airport	14.5	14.3	in 2002	52	12.4
Bicheno (Council Depot)	15.5	= 15.5	in 1988	35	14.0
Mount Wellington	3.8	3.7	in 1999	29	2.3
Tarraleah Village	9.5	9.4	in 2002	27	8.2
Wynyard Airport	13.8	= 13.8	in 2005	23	12.6

Highest July mean daily maximum temperature for at least 20 years
	Mean daily maximum temperature for July 2010 (°C)	Most recent July at least this warm		Years since warmer	Average for July
Butlers Gorge	8.6	9.1	in 1950	42	6.9

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Record highest July mean daily minimum temperature
	Mean daily minimum temperature for July 2010 (°C)	Previous warmest for July		Years of record	Average for July
Maatsuyker Island Lighthouse	8.1	= 8.1	in 2001	74	6.6

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top

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Summary statistics for July 2010
	Maximum temperatures for July (°C)				Minimum temperatures for July (°C)				Rainfall for July (millimetres)
	Mean for July 2010	Diff from average	Highest for July 2010		Mean for July 2010	Diff from average	Lowest for July 2010		Total for July 2010	Average for July	Rank of July 2010	Fraction of July average
Northern (district 91)
Bridport (Sea View Villas)	13.7	+0.5	16.1	27th	5.4	0.0	2.0	16th	73.8	76.6	average	96%
Burnie (Round Hill)	13.7	+1.0	15.8	27th	6.9	+1.0	3.5	19th	80.4	123.9	low	65%
Cape Grim BAPS	13.3	+0.8	15.0	12th	8.6	+0.4	5.6	8th	78.4	102.2	average	77%
Cressy Research Station	11.9	0.0	15.8	22nd	0.6	-0.9	-3.8	25th	47.4	60.7	average	78%
Devonport Airport	13.4	+0.7	15.4	23rd	4.3	-0.3	0.0	25th	63.2	96.0	low	66%
Launceston (Ti Tree Bend)	13.3	+0.8	16.8	22nd	2.3	+0.1	-1.3	8th	75.0	76.8	average	98%
Launceston Airport	12.0		16.3	22nd	1.5		-2.9	5th	47.2
Low Head	13.1	+0.4	14.6	12th	6.0	-0.9	3.0	19th	83.6	72.2	average	116%
Luncheon Hill (Forestry)	11.3	+0.7	13.6	13th	5.6	+0.7	1.6	19th	148.6	185.1	low	80%
Marrawah	13.1	+0.8	15.1	12th	7.5	+0.8	4.0	19th	114.6	139.4	average	82%
Scottsdale (West Minstone Road)	12.5	+0.5	15.3	22nd	3.9	+0.2	0.1	5th	96.8	119.1	average	81%
Sheffield School Farm	11.5	+0.7	15.1	22nd	3.2	-0.1	-0.6	16th	105.2	120.0	average	88%
Smithton Aerodrome	13.8	+0.7	16.2	12th	3.5	-1.1	-2.0	8th	71.0	112.4	v low	63%
Wynyard Airport	13.8	+1.2	16.5	22nd	3.0	-0.4	-1.0	19th	87.0	131.7	low	66%
East Coast (district 92)
Bicheno (Council Depot)	15.5	+1.5	18.4	12th	6.5	+0.4	3.3	7th	37.0	52.8	average	70%
Eddystone Point	14.8	+1.7	16.9	29th	7.6	+0.6	4.3	16th	46.2	76.2	low	61%
Fingal (Legge Street)	13.0	+0.9	16.4	22nd	-0.1	-0.6	-4.2	16th	36.4	55.6	average	65%
Friendly Beaches	14.6	+0.9	17.1	31st	5.4	-0.3	1.2	9th	33.2	44.8	average	74%
Lake Leake (Elizabeth River)	9.5	+1.0	12.8	22nd	-0.9	-1.1	-4.9	9th	27.0	77.7	v low	35%
Maria Island (Point Lesueur)	13.8		16.7	12th	7.6		4.9	19th	14.2
Orford (Aubin Court)	13.7	+0.7	16.8	12th	3.5	0.0	-0.5	9th	12.7	57.8	v low	22%
Scamander	14.9	+1.1	17.8	26th	4.8	+0.4	2.0	16th	75.6	56.5	high	134%
St Helens Aerodrome	14.4		16.4	26th	4.4		1.2	16th	66.8	51.3	average	130%
Swan Island	13.7		15.6	22nd	8.3		4.9	16th	35.6
Swansea Post Office	14.4	+1.1	17.6	12th	1.5	-2.1	-2.5	3rd	29.9	47.6	average	63%
Midlands (district 93)
Ross (The Boulevards)	11.9	+0.7	15.9	22nd	0.0	-1.5	-5.5	9th	22.4	40.0	v low	56%
Southeast (district 94)
Bull Bay (Lauriston)	13.6	+1.2	18.0	12th	6.2	+0.4	3.2	19th	8.8	53.9	lowest	16%
Campania (Kincora)	14.7	+1.7	17.6	11th	1.5	-1.9	-2.7	9th	5.2	33.3	v low	16%
Cape Bruny (Cape Bruny)	12.8	+0.8	15.3	12th	7.0	+0.4	4.2	25th	36.4	72.1	v low	50%
Cape Bruny Lighthouse	12.5	+1.3	15.1	12th	7.0	+0.9	4.4	25th	50.2	95.4	v low	53%
Dover	13.2	+0.9	16.4	30th	2.6	-1.0	-0.7	9th	37.4	85.2	v low	44%
Geeveston (Cemetery Road)	13.2	+1.2	15.7	22nd	1.6	-0.6	-2.4	9th	54.4	90.1	low	60%
Grove (Research Station)	13.8		16.7	12th	0.8		-4.0	8th	15.4
Hobart (Ellerslie Road)	13.9	+2.2	16.4	11th	5.0	+0.5	1.2	9th	5.8	52.0	v low	11%
Hobart Airport	14.5	+2.1	17.6	26th	3.8	-0.3	-0.8	10th	4.0	43.2	lowest	9%
Maatsuyker Island Lighthouse	11.4	+0.4	14.4	30th	8.1	+1.5	5.4	19th	95.6	128.9	low	74%
Melton Mowbray (North Stockman)	12.9	+1.6	15.9	17th	0.1	-2.1	-5.7	25th	7.6	29.3	v low	26%
Mount Wellington	3.8	+1.5	7.3	22nd	-0.5	+1.1	-4.1	19th	27.8	72.1	v low	39%
Tasman Island	11.5		15.3	12th	7.4		3.9	15th	34.2
Tunnack Fire Station	10.8	+1.4	13.9	31st	0.0	-1.8	-4.8	9th
Derwent Valley (district 95)
Bushy Park (Bushy Park Estates)	13.7	+2.6	17.4	22nd	0.4	-1.1	-3.0	23rd	9.2	49.1	v low	19%
Maydena Post Office	11.4	+0.8	15.0	17th	2.5	+0.3	-1.4	2nd	56.3	104.7	v low	54%
Ouse Fire Station	13.0	+1.4	16.8	22nd	-0.4	-1.6	-4.4	9th	10.4	45.4	v low	23%
Tarraleah Village	9.5	+1.3	12.5	31st	1.5	+1.1	-3.4	9th	48.0	116.0	v low	41%
Central Plateau (district 96)
Butlers Gorge	8.6	+1.7	11.8	30th	0.6	+1.0	-6.2	2nd	88.8	174.3	v low	51%
Lake St Clair National Park	8.1	+0.8	11.4	30th	0.2	+0.3	-4.7	2nd	128.8	199.8	low	64%
Liawenee	6.7		11.0	22nd	-1.5		-7.9	25th	78.8
West Coast (district 97)
Hartz Mountain (Keoghs Pimple)	6.5	+0.5	11.6	30th	2.2	+0.9	-0.6	19th	75.0	94.1	low	80%
Mount Read	4.0	+0.4	5.6	30th	0.8	+0.7	-2.1	19th	384.4	393.9	average	98%
Scotts Peak Dam	10.1	+0.9	13.7	29th	4.3	+1.2	0.4	9th	175.8	191.0	average	92%
Strahan Aerodrome	12.8	+0.6	15.5	30th	5.5	+0.5	0.5	1st	194.8	164.1	high	119%
Strathgordon Village	10.0	+1.1	13.7	13th	4.2	+1.2	0.7	10th	200.6	269.3	low	74%
Warra	9.4		11.9	17th	3.3		-0.2	9th	107.4
King Island (district 98)
King Island Airport	14.0	+0.8	15.7	13th	7.3	-0.2	2.5	8th	83.6	113.5	low	74%
Flinders Island (district 99)
Flinders Island Airport	14.0	+0.7	16.9	29th	6.1	-0.2	0.0	1st	43.4	84.1	low	52%
Hogan Island	13.4		15.2	30th	9.5		7.8	19th	51.0
Antarctica and Macquarie Island (district 300)
Macquarie Island	5.5	+0.6	8.3	14th	2.0	+0.4	-0.6	6th	65.6	71.5	average	92%

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top

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