Friday, 3 January 2014 - Monthly Climate Summary for Tasmania - Product code IDCKGC37R0

Tasmania in December 2013: a mixed bag

The weather was mixed through December in Tasmania, with plenty of cool weather countered by a few hot days, and several wet days in the west but low totals in the southeast corner of the state.

• Many wet days in the west
• Record dry at York Plains, record wet on Deal Island
• Many cool days, but a few hot ones
• Some cold nights

The Tasmanian annual climate summary is also available, as is the Bureau of Meteorology's Australian annual climate statement.

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top

Rain at times, but dry in the southeast

Westerly winds and cold fronts brought rain to the western half of the state right through the month, particularly around the 4th and from the 9th to 13th. Mount Read had 51.0 mm in the 24 hours to 9 am on the 13th, and Butlers Gorge received 41.0 mm in the 24 hours to 9 am on the 11th. A low that moved down the west coast brought moderate falls to many areas from the 21st to the 23rd.

However, the southern Midlands, lower East Coast and parts of the Derwent Valley missed out on much of this rain, and totals for the month were well down on average in those areas. York Plains (Handroyd), with just 6.2 mm for the whole month, reported its lowest total December rainfall on record. Meanwhile, a few days of moderate rain ensured that Deal Island recorded its highest total December rainfall since 1985.

Plenty of cool weather, but a few hot days

There were more relatively cool days than warm ones in Tasmania during December 2013, with an extended run of cool days from about the 4th to the 14th, and other cool spells around the 21st and the 29th. Against this, temperatures tipped 30 °C in the southeast on the 2nd, reached 35 °C on the 19th and were in the high 20s on the 25th and 28th. Overall, daytime temperatures were a little above average at most sites, although a little below average at some.

The hottest day was the 19th, when Bushy Park reached 36.2 °C, Ouse Fire Station reached 35.9 °C and Hobart 35.5 °C. At the other extreme, on the 10th Mount Read reached only 3.1 °C and Mount Wellington 3.4 °C. The warmest days on average were at Ouse Fire Station with 22.9 °C, with Bushy Park not far behind on 22.8 °C

Cool nights to start, mild ones to end

After a relatively mild start, nights were generally cool from the 5th to the 17th. In the second half of the month, overnight temperatures were generally above average, although the 29th and 30th were once again cool. Overall, mean minimum temperatures were close to average for most of the state, but generally on the warm side.

The coldest night was at Mount Wellington with -2.5 °C on the 6th, followed by Liawenee with -2.0 °C on the 16th. Liawenee also had the equal warmest night of the month, with 17.4 °C on the 20th the same as Flinders Island Airport's minimum for the morning of the 3rd. The warmest nights on average were at Swan Island with 12.7 °C, just ahead of Low Head with 12.6 °C. The coolest nights on average were at Mount Wellington with 3.4 °C.

Strong and gusty westerly winds

The dominant weather pattern over Tasmania during December 2013 was one of westerly winds and cold fronts. Although not uncommon, these westerlies have been more regular than usual of late (September and October were especially affected). There were several bursts of strong and gusty winds during December, notably around the 10th and from the 28th to the 30th. Mount Wellington recorded a gust to 128 km/h on the 29th, as did Hogan Island on the 10th.

Hobart: some warm days and relatively dry

Hobart reached 35.5 °C on the 19th, its warmest December day since the 31st in 2009. It had also reached 30.4 °C on the 2nd. On the 25th the temperature reached 27.8 °C, Hobart's warmest Christmas Day since 1989 (when it was 31.5 °C). There were also plenty of cool days: it failed to reach 17 °C on 6 days (which is typical for December), and on the 20th reached only 15.3 °C. Hobart's mean daily maximum temperature for December was 0.9 °C above average at 21.2 °C.

Hobart's overnight temperatures were also mixed, ranging from a low of 7.7 °C on the 6th to 15.5 °C on the 26th. The mean daily minimum was 11.8 °C, which is 1.0 °C above the long-term average.

It was a relatively dry month in Hobart, with a total of 28.2 mm just half the long-term average of 56.2 mm. Of this, 12 mm fell in the 24 hours to 9 am on the 6th, and 9.8 mm in the 48 hours to 9 am on the 24th. Nearby, Hobart Airport registered only 15.8 mm for the whole month.

In common with much of Tasmania, Hobart had strong and gusty west to northwest winds several times during December, with peak gusts of 83 km/h on the 8th and again on the 28th.

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