Wednesday, 6 January 2016 - Monthly Climate Summary for Tasmania - Product code IDCKGC17R0

Tasmania in December 2015: record warm and generally dry

After a cool start, Tasmania had a very warm December, breaking records including that for highest State mean December temperature. Rainfall was generally below average, despite some moderate falls.

• Record warm on 19th and 20th
• Record warm overall
• Some rain, but generally drier than usual

December 2015 started relatively cool in Tasmania, with several days struggling to reach into the high teens. The second half of the month, however, brought some very warm temperatures, with particularly hot spells from the 18th to 20th, and again on the 24th and 25th. Overnight from the 19th to the 20th was especially mild, with many sites – especially in the north – having their warmest December night on record. The heat continued into the 20th, giving a few sites their highest December temperature on record and peaking at 39.8 °C at Friendly Beaches; the highest December temperature recorded in Tasmania since 1897. There was more warm weather on the 24th and 25th, followed by a few days of much cooler weather in the wake of a cold front. More information about the heat, which also affected South Australia and Victoria, can be found in the Special Climate Statement: Widespread record December temperatures in southeast Australia.

The persistent warmth saw several sites set December records for highest mean daily maximum temperature, highest mean daily minimum, or highest mean temperature. Averaged across the State, the mean temperature was record warm at 2.17 °C above average, well clear of the previous record from 1973. The State mean maximum temperature was 3.00 °C above average (second-highest behind 1994) and the mean minimum temperature was 1.34 °C above average (fourth-highest)

Although there were several wet days, especially in the west and especially in the first half of the month, rainfall was below average for most of Tasmania and particularly low in the far northeast corner. The most significant rain was associated with cold fronts, on the 1st, 11th, 20th and 26th. The bulk of the rain from these fell in the west and south, but the front and low that crossed on the 26th brought moderate falls to all but the far northeast. The State's total rainfall was about 35% below the December average.

Hobart's mean daily maximum temperature of 22.5 °C was 2.2 °C above average, and the mean daily minimum of 12.2 °C was 1.4 °C above average. The hottest day was the 25th, when the city reached 36.0 °C, and the coolest morning saw the temperature drop to 5.0 °C on the 12th. Hobart's total rain for the month was 35.0 mm, about 62% of the December average; almost half of this fell when a cold front crossed on the 26th.

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.

* 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