Monday, 1 April 2019 - Monthly Climate Summary for Tasmania - Product code IDCKGC17R0

Tasmania in March 2019: a record hot start, but a cold end

Dover's 40.1 °C on the 2nd was Tasmania's hottest March day on record, and although there were some cold days later on it was a mild month overall. Rainfall was close to average in most areas, but below average in the north and east.

Record hot start, cold days near the end

• Dover's maximum temperature of 40.1 °C on the 2nd is the highest March temperature ever reported in Tasmania, far exceeding the previous record of 38.0 °C at Campania on 14 March 2008
• Very high temperatures were reported from some sites in western and central Tasmania on the 1st, with even higher temperatures across the State on the 2nd
• Many sites, including Hobart, Launceston and Strahan, had their highest March temperature on record; Hobart (with with 39.1 °C) was one of nine sites in southeast Tasmania that exceeded the old March State record
• The morning of the 2nd was also record warm for several sites
• A cool change which brought some thunderstorms and hail saw many areas struggle to reach 15 °C on the 6th; another cool change on the 12th was followed by several cold mornings
• Mild to warm and humid weather dominated from the 15th to the 22nd, with easterly winds over the State
• A marked cold change on the 25th brought two days of temperatures below 15 °C for much of the State, together with strong and damaging winds, snow on higher ground, and cold mornings; whilst another front late on the 29th brought more cool weather
• Averaged over the month and across the State, maximum temperatures were 0.85 °C above average, minimum temperatures were 0.42 °C above average, and the overall mean temperature 0.64 °C above average; all warmer than March 2018 but cooler than March 2017

Rainfall below average in the north and east

• The northeast half of the State had little rain before the 20th
• Westerly winds and cold fronts brought moderate falls to the southwest between the 6th and the 15th, from the 24th to the 26th, and again on the 30th and 31st
• There were localised thunderstorms with some moderate to heavy falls on the 24th and 25th
• March rainfall totals were below average over much of the north and east and the far northeast was very much below average, but totals were close to average in central, northwestern, and far southern areas
• Tasmania's total rainfall for the month was about 22% below average, drier than March 2018 but wetter than March 2017
• The first three months of 2019 have been Tasmania's driest start to a year since 2006

A mostly warm, dry month for Hobart

• Hobart's maximum temperature of 39.1 °C on the 2nd was the highest March temperature the site has ever recorded, far exceeding the previous record of 37.3 °C on 14 March 2008
• The night of the 1st into the morning of the 2nd was very mild, with a minimum temperature of 19.8 °C
• The coolest day was the 25th when the temperature reached only 14.5 °C, Hobart's coldest March day since 2012
• The mean daily maximum temperature for Hobart was 21.5 °C, which is 1.3 °C above the long-term average
• The mean daily minimum temperature for Hobart (Ellerslie Road) was 12.2 °C, which is 1.3 °C above the long-term average
• The coldest morning was 6.0 °C on the 13th, one of only six nights when the temperature dropped below 10 °C (compared to a long-term March average of about 12 such cool nights)
• Total rainfall for Hobart (Ellerslie Road) was only 18.2 mm, about two-fifths of the long-term average
• Hobart recorded only 54.0 mm of rain in the first three months of 2019, well down on the long-term average of around 132 mm and the city's driest start to the year since 2001

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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Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top