Friday, 1 December 2017 - Monthly Climate Summary for Tasmania - Product code IDCKGC17R0

Tasmania in November 2017: exceptionally warm

After a cool start, November saw an extended period of very warm weather that saw many temperature records broken: it was Tasmania's warmest November by a wide margin. Rainfall was well below average in the north, and below average in most areas despite some localised heavy showers.

An exceptionally warm month

• An extended period of very warm weather, combined with a hot final two days, meant the warmest November on record for Tasmania as a whole and at many sites
• The State mean maximum temperature was a record 3.79 °C above average: 1.7 °C warmer than the previous record from 1914, more than four degrees warmer than November last year, and the largest positive anomaly for any month
• Tasmania's mean minimum temperature was 1.37 °C above average, the third-warmest on record
• The State mean temperature was 2.58 °C above average, breaking the record from 2000 by more than half a degree
• Several sites (including Hobart, Launceston and Strahan) had their highest November mean temperature on record
• The month started with cold weather and snow to 600 metres, giving a few sites their lowest November temperature on record
• A long spell of warm weather ran from around the 10th to the 24th, when an almost stationary high pressure system over the Tasman Sea directed hot air from the north over Tasmania
• Several sites set records for extended warm spells, most notably Hobart (6 consecutive days over 26 °C), Strahan (7 consecutive days over 27 °C and 20 consecutive days over 20 °C), and Launceston (9 consecutive days over 25 °C); in some cases these were record runs of warm days for any time of year
• Many sites set records for the total number of warm November days, often by a wide margin, including Hobart (10 days over 26 °C, previous highest count 7 days in 1901), Strahan (8 days over 27 °C, was 3 days in 2003) and Launceston (11 days over 25 °C, was 5 days in 2009)
• The extended warmth ensured numerous sites (including Hobart, Launceston, Burnie, Strahan and Scottsdale), had their highest November mean daily maximum temperature on record
• Warm northerly winds around the middle of the month and again at the end gave several sites, mostly in the north, their warmest November night (highest daily minimum temperature) on record
• The month was characterised more by extended warmth rather than especially hot days, although there were some temperatures into the low 30s and a few sites had their highest November temperature on record

A mostly dry month – but some thunderstorms

• Rainfall was below average for almost all of Tasmania, well below average in the north and west, and record low on Flinders Island
• A few sites in the north had their lowest total November rainfall on record, or their lowest for several decades
• Total rain for the State was 54% below the November average, the sixth-driest November on record
• Some heavy showers and thunderstorms brought localised moderate totals on the last weekend of the month, with Scotts Peak Dam receiving 51.6 mm in the 24 hours to 9 am on the 27th

A record warm November for Hobart

• Total rainfall for Hobart (Ellerslie Road) was 46.4 mm, of which 28 mm fell over the final weekend
• The mean daily maximum temperature for Hobart (Ellerslie Road) was a record 22.4 °C, which is 3.7 °C above the long-term average, 0.9 °C above the old record (from 1921), and above the long-term average for January or February
• Hobart had 6 consecutive days over 26 °C from the 18th to the 23rd, equalling the record for any time of year set in March 1990
• The city had a total of 9 days over 26 °C, exceeding the previous November record of 7 days in 1901 and well above the average of around 2 days each November
• The warmest day was 33.5 °C on the 30th, and the coolest day was on the 2nd when the temperature reached just 13.6 °C
• The mean daily minimum temperature for Hobart (Ellerslie Road) was 12.1 °C, which is 0.4 °C warmer than the old record from 2000 and 2.8 °C above the long-term average
• Hobart had 5 consecutive nights where the temperature did not drop below 15 °C, a November record (previously 3 in 1987)
• The coldest morning was 4.7 °C on the 6th, and the warmest morning was on the 26th when the minimum temperature was 17.3 °C

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

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 lower value has gone unreported

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top