Wednesday, 1 May 2013 - Monthly Climate Summary for Tasmania - Product code IDCKGC17R0

Tasmania in April 2013: Heavy rain, damaging winds and fires

Isolated showers produced heavy rain and localised flooding in the southeast on the 9th, but April rainfall was average to below average elsewhere. Strong winds and warm temperatures saw fires flare in the south on the 27th, the strong winds also causing damage to property.

• Heavy rain with localised flooding in the southeast
• 156 mm at Eaglehawk Neck on the 9th
• Damaging winds and fires
• Strahan's coldest April night on record
• Warm days and cold nights overall

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top

Heavy rain in the southeast

Isolated showers produced very heavy rainfall in the southeast overnight on 8 April. Eaglehawk Neck reported 156 mm over the 24 hours to 9am on 9 April, its wettest April day on record and 2nd wettest day on record for any time of year. Copping recorded a daily total of 103 mm, 38 mm of that in an hour, and Catamaran a daily total of 92 mm. The heavy rain caused some localised flash flooding around Boomer Bay and Eaglehawk Neck, a bridge at Boomer Bay being washed away.

The heavy rain resulted in above average April rainfall in a small area of the southeast, but monthly rainfall totals were average to below average elsewhere across Tasmania. The driest site was The Den in the Central Plateau with 8.8 mm, whilst the wettest was Mount Read with 353.2 mm.

Damaging winds and fires

An approaching cold front directed very strong northwesterly winds across Tasmania on the 27th, pushing temperatures into the mid-twenties in the southeast. Maximum wind gusts reached 96 km/h in Hobart and 113 km/h at Cape Bruny. The warm and very windy conditions, in addition to dry vegetation and soil saw bush fires flare near Tea Tree, Cygnet, Judbury, Ouse and Campania. The fire at Tea Tree burnt 600 ha.

In addition to the fires, the strong winds caused some damage to property and downed trees and power lines, leaving thousands of premises without power across Tasmania.

Warm days overall, but some wintery weather too

Following on from a record warm March, maximum temperatures continued to be warmer than average in April, by up to 1 °C in most areas. Days were warmest between the 5th and 13th and on the 27th in warm northerly winds. Campania (Kincora) reached 26.7 °C on the 27th, the warmest day of the month. There were also a few cold days, temperatures remaining below 15 °C in most areas between 18 and 19 April when a southerly flow brought snow showers to Mount Wellington and the central highlands. Mount Wellington 's maximum of only 0.1 °C on the 19th was the coldest day of the month.

Several cold April nights

Cold nights were common in April, a notable cold period extending from the 12th to the 25th. In the west, Marrawah had its coldest April night in 42 years with a low of 3.0 °C on the 19th, and on the 20th Strahan recorded a low of -0.2 °C, its lowest April temperature on record. There were a few mild nights in April, the warmest of those between the 7th and 10th and later in the month around the 27th. King Island Airport's minimum of 16.5 °C on the 27th was the highest of the month.

Overall, minimum temperatures were generally below average, by up to 1 °C in most areas. The lowest temperature of the month was -4.8 °C recorded at Liawenee on the 16th, its coldest April night in 3 years.

Mild and dry in Hobart

Hobart had a mix of warm and cold days, as is usual in April; the warmest day was 25.0 °C on the 27th and the coldest 12.5 °C on the 19th, Hobart's coldest April day since 2009. There were a few mild nights but most nights were cold; 5.7 °C on the 16th Hobart's lowest temperature of the month. Overall, minimum and maximum temperatures were just above average, by +0.4 °C and +0.6 °C respectively.

Hobart received 21.2 mm of rain, less than half the April average of 51.4 mm. More than half of that fell on the 19th, when 11 mm of rain was recorded. There were 14 rain days, which is two days above average for April.

2013 so far

January to April 2013 has been drier than normal for most, largely due to below average rainfall in many areas in January, February and April. Some sites in the north and west had close to average rainfall. Maximum temperatures are 1 to 2 degrees above average, and minimum temperatures up to 1 degree above average.

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 higher value has gone unreported.

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top