Friday, 1 March 2013 - Monthly Climate Summary for Tasmania - Product code IDCKGC17R0

Tasmania in February 2013: another warm and mostly dry month

Tasmanian temperatures were warmer than average in February, by up to 3 °C by day and by up to 2 °C by night. Rainfall was below average, except in the east where totals were generally close to normal.

• Warm days and nights
• Relatively dry, except in the east

A summary covering all of summer 2012–13 has also been prepared.

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top

Warm days dominate

Most days were warmer than average in February, with only a few cool days. The warmest were around the 7th, 18th and 24th, when northerly winds pushed temperatures into the mid 30s. Following a period of warm and sunny conditions which started on the 13th, Grove reached a maximum of 37.2 °C on the 18th, the warmest day of the month.

On average, maximum temperatures were 1 to 2 °C warmer than normal in the north and east, and 2 to 3 °C warmer than normal in the south and west.

Mostly mild nights, but a few cold ones too

Mild nights were common in February, especially in the second half of the month when temperatures regularly remained above 15 °C. Cold southerly winds still brought a few cold nights, the coldest of which were on the 1st and 2nd when minima were up to 7 °C below average. On the 2nd, temperatures dropped below zero in the Central Plateau, with Liawenee's -1.3 °C the coldest temperature of the month.

Overall, minimum temperatures were above average across the state, mostly by between 1 and 2 °C.

Dry conditions continue in all but the east

February was drier than average in all but the east of Tasmania, where a few rainfall events brought monthly totals to near average. Overall totals generally ranged from 20 to 60 mm in both the east and the west, but some sites in northern areas recorded less than 15 mm for the month. Smithton Aerodrome on the north coast was the driest site, only recording 11 mm. In contrast, Mount Read was the state's wettest location with 108 mm.

On the 27th, a cold front and trough generated thunderstorms in the southeast which produced isolated falls of up to around 50 mm. Buckland (Brockley Road) recorded 53 mm over the 24 hours to 9am on the 28th, the wettest day of the month.

Other wet days include the 9th and 18th when cold fronts produced falls of up to 20 or 30 mm in the west and south respectively, and the 24th when a low pressure system and associated trough produced rainfall totals of up to around 30 mm in the north and east. A cold front on 31 January extended rainfall statewide, with sites in eastern and central areas recording up to 30 mm of rain in the 24 hours to 9am on the 1st.

Bushfires

Several bushfires occurred in hot and windy conditions, notably on 6 February. The most significant was near Molesworth which burnt more than 2600 ha, threatened several homes and led to the extended closure of walking tracks in Wellington Park; and another west of Douglas Apsley National Park which burnt more than 2100 ha, resulting in the closure of the Park.

Warm and dry conditions continue in Hobart

Hobart was warmer and drier than normal in February, continuing a pattern seen since about October 2012. No records were broken this month (unlike January), but there were more hot days than normal: the temperature exceeded 30 °C on 5 days compared to the February average of 2. The hottest day was on the 18th when the temperature in Hobart reached 35.7 °C.

There were also more warm minimum temperatures than usual, the temperature remaining above 16 °C on 10 occasions, compared to the average of 3.

Hobart only recorded 23 mm of rain, close to half the long-term February average of 40 mm. The wettest day was the 1st when 10 mm was recorded, most of that rainfall delivered by a cold front on 31 January (daily rainfall totals are recorded over the 24 hours up to 9am). There were 8 rain days, close to the usual 9 days, but with only small totals on most of those days.

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top

Maps
	Observed	Anomaly	Decile rank
Total rainfall
Mean daily maximum temperatures
Mean daily minimum temperatures

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Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top