Friday, 1 February 2013 - Monthly Climate Summary for Tasmania - Product code IDCKGC27R0

Tasmania in January 2013: Record heat, little rain

Early January saw extremely hot temperatures across Tasmania, with several sites breaking all-time maximum temperature records on the 4th and a few breaking records for high minimum temperatures. Hobart recorded a maximum of 41.8 °C, Tasmania's second-highest temperature and the highest ever observed in southern Tasmania. Several fires flared in hot and dry conditions on the 4th, one near Forcett causing extensive damage to Dunalley and surrounding areas. Rainfall was below average throughout the state.

• A record 41.8 °C in Hobart on the 4th
• Hottest day on record at several other sites in the southeast
• Highest January minimum temperature on record in Hobart, Cape Bruny and Geeveston
• Destructive bushfires
• Below average rainfall

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top

Record breaking heat

Temperatures in the East, South East and Derwent Valley districts rose into the mid-30s on the 3rd and into the low 40s on the 4th as a high pressure system over the Tasman Sea combined with an approaching low pressure trough and cold front to direct a very hot northerly airflow over Tasmania. Several stations recorded either their highest temperature on record (for any month), or their highest January temperature on record. Hobart recorded its warmest temperature in 120 years of record with 41.8 °C, breaking the previous record of 40.8 °C set on 4 January 1976. This is the highest temperature recorded anywhere in southern Tasmania, and the second-highest in the state. Hobart's previous record of 40.8 °C had stood as Tasmania's warmest temperature on record for 33 years, before it was broken by Scamander's 42.2 °C on 30 January 2009.

Minimum temperatures were also quite warm in the southeast on the 4th. Hobart, Hobart Airport, Geeveston and Cape Bruny Island all recorded their highest January minimum temperature on record, their temperatures not dropping below 20 °C between 9am on the 3rd and 9am on the 4th.

Record temperatures in Tasmania were part of a heatwave that affected much of Australia. More details can be found in Special Climate Statement 43 - extreme heat in January 2013.

Overall, maximum temperatures were warmer than average, by up to 2 °C. On the east coast, Bicheno had its highest January mean daily maximum temperature on record. Minimum temperatures were generally within 1 °C of average.

Destructive bushfires

On 4 January, fresh to strong and gusty north to northwesterly winds combined with record heat and low relative humidity to produce widespread areas of Severe to Extreme Fire Danger. The last few months of 2012 were also drier than average, contributing to the drying out of soil and vegetation in most areas. Up to 40 bushfires flared across Tasmania in these conditions, with fires at Bicheno on the east coast, Forcett in the southeast and Lake Repulse in the Upper Derwent Valley reaching Emergency Warning status. Hundreds of properties were destroyed, with several thousand hectares of land burnt, and thousands of people left without power.

The Forcett fire was the most damaging, destroying several properties in Dunalley, including the local primary school, RSL club, service station and many homes. The Arthur Highway was closed at Dunalley from mid-morning, cutting off road access to the Tasman Peninsula, with hundreds of people evacuated from the area. Overall, over 25 000 ha were burnt in the Forcett fire, with close to 200 properties and 21 businesses destroyed, and road access to the Tasman Peninsula closed for more than a week.

Dry conditions continue

January rainfall was below average in most areas, continuing the dry conditions seen since October 2012. Some other sites had their lowest total January rainfall for at least 20 years.

The first half of the month was especially dry, but the passage of a few cold fronts in the second half and a trough lingering off the east coast on the 26th and 27th helped raise monthly totals in many areas. Cold fronts on the 8th and 10th also produced daily falls of up to around 25 mm in the west and 15 mm in northern and central areas, but only small amounts in other areas. Another cold front crossed overnight on the 30th, delivering falls of up to 35 mm to the north and west, with 34.6 mm at Mount Read the wettest day of the month.

Mount Read was the wettest site overall with 228.0 mm, and Dennes Point the driest site with only 7.6 mm

Hot and dry in Hobart

Hobart observed its warmest day on record with 41.8 °C on 4 January, beating the previous record by 1 °C. This is the highest temperature recorded anywhere in southern Tasmania, and second only to Scamander's 42.2 °C record on 30 January 2009. Hobart's minimum temperature of 23.4 °C on the 4th was also its warmest January minimum on record. Following a warm start to the year, temperatures were generally much closer to average in the second half of the month. The coolest day was 18.1 °C on the 29th and the coldest morning 8.9 °C on the 2nd. Overall, maximum temperatures were 2.2 °C warmer than normal and minimum temperatures were 1.2 °C above normal.

Only 11.4 mm of rain was recorded in Hobart, well below the January average of 48 mm, and the driest January since 2009 when 10 mm was recorded. Although it rained on 9 days, just 2 days shy of average, daily totals were typically 1 mm or less. The wettest day of the month was the 26th when 5.8 mm was recorded. Hobart usually sees a wetter day in January.

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top

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

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

Note that most of these January maximum temperatures records were also temperature records for any month:

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top