Friday, 1 May 2015 - Monthly Climate Summary for Tasmania - Product code IDCKGC17R0

Tasmania in April 2015: a dry, cool month

High pressure systems had a marked influence on Tasmania's weather during April, and the State had a relatively dry and cool month. Rainfall was well below average in the west and south, and temperatures were below average across the State.

• Rainfall well below average in the west and south
• Daytime and overnight temperatures below average overall
• Many cool days
• Several cold nights

In marked contrast to the generally wet March, Tasmania had a relatively dry April. With only a few rain-bearing cold fronts crossing the State the western half and the south recorded rainfall totals well below the monthly average, and a few sites in the northwest had their driest April since 1963. Even though Mount Read (on the West Coast) was the wettest spot in the State, its total of 126.2 mm was less than half of its long-term average. There were some moderate falls and thunderstorms as a cold front crossed on the morning of the 2nd, but most days saw little if any rain anywhere in the State. The wettest weather was in the northeast from the 24th to the 26th, as a complex area of low pressure brought some daily totals over 20 mm and ensured this was one of the few areas with near-average rain for the month. Hogan Island had the wettest single day, registering almost 35 mm in the 24 hours to 9 am on the 26th.

Daytime temperatures were below average overall, especially on the East Coast. Most days had below-average temperatures, with the only particularly warm days on the 1st (when several sites reached into the high 20s) and the 15th (where sites in the east reached into the low 20s). However, there were not any especially cold days: even on the generally cool 19th most areas reached over 12 °C. For many sites in Tasmania it was the coolest April since 2006, and in the east it was the coolest month since August last year.

Overnight temperatures were also below average, especially in the west. There was a mixture of relatively mild and quite cold nights scattered through the month. The coldest morning was on the 20th, when many inland sites reported temperatures well below zero, Liawenee dipped to -6.9 °C and a new low April temperature record was set on Flinders Island. The cool April follows on from a cool March.

Hobart's total rainfall was just 11.2 mm, well below the long-term average of 51 mm and the driest April since 2002 (when there was only 6 mm). The mean daily maximum of 16.7 °C was 0.6 °C below the long-term average. There were slightly more cool days than usual (9 days below 15 °C compared to a long-term average of about 8 such cool days) and slightly fewer mild days (5 days above 20 °C compared to a long-term average of about 6). It was the coolest April since the record-breaking 2006 (when Hobart's mean maximum was just 15.0 °C and there were 18 days below 15 °C). The mean overnight minimum temperature of 8.9 °C was just 0.1 °C below the long-term average.

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