Monday, 2 March 2015 - Monthly Climate Summary for Tasmania - Product code IDCKGC17R0

Tasmania in February 2015: mild, relatively dry except in the northeast

February 2015 was a generally mild month across Tasmania, with a cool spell at the start of the month more than countered by several warm days and nights. Rainfall was below average for the western two-thirds of the State, but heavy falls brought flooding and a wet month around the northeast highlands.

• Heavy rain and flooding in the northeast
• Relatively dry in most other areas
• Cool start to the month
• Very warm days and nights around the 22nd

It was a cool start to the month, with below-average temperatures across Tasmania and some nights below zero in the highlands. Temperatures picked up, with many sites exceeding 30 °C on the 6th and 7th. Devonport Airport reached a February-record 30.6 °C on the afternoon of the 8th, just after winds shifted southwesterly behind a cold front. Temperatures were mixed for the following few weeks, with cool days interspersed with warm ones. There was an especially warm spell from the 20th to the 23rd: Bushy Park, Campania and Hobart Airport all reached 37 °C on the 22nd. Daytime temperatures dropped back to normal for the end of the month, but overall mean maximum temperatures were above the long-term average in almost all areas, typically by between 0.5 and 1.5 °C, although a few sites on the East Coast were slightly below average.

Overnight minimum temperatures were mostly below average for the first half of the month, with some sub-zero temperatures recorded at elevated inland sites. Nights were relatively mild from the 14th, peaking on the morning of the 23rd when Launceston equalled its February record high minimum temperature and several sites did not drop below 20 °C. Overall, minimum temperatures were above average across the State, mostly by less than one degree but by nearly two degrees in the northeast.

Rainfall was below average in the western two-thirds of Tasmania, and record low at a few sites. This was in stark contrast to the northeast highlands, where some very heavy falls on the 14th and 15th (Mount Victoria had 176 mm in 36 hours) brought localised flooding and gave a few sites their wettest February day on record.

A summary is also available for all of summer 2014-15.

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top

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

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top