Tuesday, 1 October 2019 - Monthly Climate Summary for Tasmania - Product code IDCKGC17R0

Tasmania in September 2019: a month of contrasts

September was a month of contrasts in Tasmania. While some areas in the east had a record wet day, it was a relatively dry month across much of the State. There were some cold and frosty nights and snow in elevated areas, but also some very warm days, particularly during the third week of the month. The passage of several cold fronts brought strong, gusty and damaging winds.

Heavy rain in the east, but below average totals elsewhere

• A low pressure system brought moderate to locally heavy rainfall to the Northwest Coast on the 6th, and heavy falls to parts of the East Coast from the 6th to the 7th
• Thunderstorms associated with the low brought localised flash flooding in the north, and a handful of sites in the east had their highest September daily rainfall on record; marked river rises and some minor flooding was reported in northeast river basins
• Rainfall was below average over most of the State, and very much below average in a few patches, but close to average in the western highlands
• Cape Bruny had its driest September since 1999, but for most of the State it was wetter than September last year
• Tasmania's total rainfall for the month was about 25% below average
• Rainfall totals for the year remain below average in the eastern half of the State, tending to very much below average in some areas, with totals in the west being close to or above average

A mix of cold and warm; temperatures above average overall

• Cold, cloudy and wet weather from a low that passed over the State on the 6th saw many sites struggling to reach 10 °C, and gave Fingal and Friendly Beaches their coldest September day on record
• There was a spell of mild weather from the 10th, before a cold change on the 16th, followed by clear skies and light winds under a high pressure system, resulted in several sites in the north reporting their lowest September temperature on record on either the 17th or 18th
• The warmest days in most areas were from the 19th to the 21st in northerly winds between a high over the Tasman Sea and a cold front approaching from the west
• The morning of the 20th was quite warm (Strahan had its highest September daily minimum temperature on record), and that afternoon a few sites had their highest September temperature on record
• Mean maximum temperatures were above average at most sites, with the State mean maximum temperature 0.56 °C above average
• Mean minimum temperatures were above average for most of Tasmania, but up to a degree below average in the northeast quarter; the State mean minimum temperature was 0.11 °C above average
• Temperatures for the year so far are very much above average for most of the State, with maximum temperatures particularly warm

Strong winds and snow

• There were several days with strong and gusty westerly winds, particularly overnight from the 11th to the 12th when gusts in excess of 100 km/h were reported in and around Hobart, causing structural damage, downed trees and power outages
• A cold front that crossed late on the 8th brought snow to elevated areas, another front on the 16th brought snow to low levels, and there was more snow in elevated areas on the 21st and 22nd

A mixed month for Hobart

• Total rainfall for Hobart (Ellerslie Road) was 34.6 mm, which is about two-thirds of the long-term average
• The mean daily maximum temperature for Hobart (Ellerslie Road) was 16.7 °C, which is 1.6 °C above the long-term average
• The warmest day was 27.2 °C on the 20th (the warmest day since April), whilst the coolest day was on the 7th when the temperature reached just 9.9 °C
• The mean daily minimum temperature for Hobart (Ellerslie Road) was 7.2 °C, which is 0.8 °C above the long-term average
• The coldest morning was 1.4 °C on the 17th (the coldest September morning since 2017), and the warmest morning was on the 15th when the minimum temperature was 12.8 °C
• Hobart registered a wind gust to 113 km/h early on the 12th, its strongest September gust since 1995 (although a stronger gust occurred on 20 August this year)

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