Monday, 2 March 2020 - Monthly Climate Summary for Tasmania - Product code IDCKGC17R0

Tasmania in February 2020: cool days, wet in the northeast and King Island

Cool weather was dominant in Tasmania during February, with only a few warm days. Although there was moderate rain in the northeast and on King Island, the southeast had a relatively dry month.

Rain in the northeast and King Island, dry in the southeast

• A low pressure system to the east of the State from the 18th to the 19th brought over 50 mm of rain to the northeast and King Island, and gave sites on Flinders Island their wettest February daily rainfall on record
• A trough had also brought rain to the northeast on the 10th and 11th, ensuring a few sites had their highest total February rainfall for several decades
• Rainfall was close to average for much of Tasmania, but the southeast was relatively dry and some sites had less than half their average February rainfall
• Tasmania's total rainfall for the month was about 5% above average

Cool days dominate

• After record hot weather at the end of January, February brought only a few hot days and many cool days
• A cold front that crossed on the 2nd led to a very cool day on the 3rd, with a few elevated sites having their coldest February day on record
• The morning of the 4th was cold across the State, dropping below zero at a few sites and giving Ross and Low Head their lowest February temperature on record
• There was more cool weather on the 19th when cloud, rain and cool onshore winds gave a few sites in the east their coldest February day on record
• The west and north had a period of mostly warm weather from the 7th to the 14th, but in the east and south the 14th and 25th were the warmest days of the month in northwesterly winds ahead of approaching cold fronts
• Ouse had its lowest February mean daily maximum temperature on record and larapuna (Eddystone Point) its lowest February mean daily maximum temperature since 1996
• Mean maximum temperatures were below average across the State, and especially so in the east; Tasmania's mean maximum temperature was 1.30 °C below average
• Overnight temperatures were closer to average overall, with the State mean minimum temperature 0.02 °C below average
• Tasmania's overall mean temperature was 0.65 °C below average

A cool, dry month for Hobart

• It was a cool month for Hobart, with only three days going over 25 °C compared to a February average of about five days that warm
• Hobart's warmest day for the month was 31.3 °C on the 25th
• The mean daily maximum temperature for Hobart (Ellerslie Road) was 20.8 °C, which is 0.9 °C below the long-term average of 21.7 °C and the coolest for February since 2011
• The coolest day was on the 3rd when the temperature reached 15.1 °C
• Total rainfall for Hobart (Ellerslie Road) was 15.8 mm, which is just 40% of the long-term average of 39.3 mm
• The mean daily minimum temperature for Hobart (Ellerslie Road) was 12.1 °C, equal to the long-term average
• The coldest morning was 7.5 °C on the 22nd, and the warmest morning was on the 1st when the minimum temperature was 19.9 °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 higher value has gone unreported

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top