Wednesday, 2 May 2007 - Seasonal Climate Summary for Northern Territory - Product code IDCKGC22R0

Northern Territory wet season, October 2006 to April 2007

Summary

Conditions at the beginning of this wet season reflected the El Niño event occurring at the time. It was generally drier than normal in the spring/build-up months of October and November and heavier rainfall associated with the monsoon was not seen until close to the New Year. The monsoon itself did not set in at Darwin until almost the middle of January, about three weeks later than average. A couple of significant rainfall events (quite remarkable in some parts) brought the wet season total rainfall figures close-to or even well above the long-term averages.

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Rainfall

Most stations ended up recording wet season total rainfall close to their long-term average. These totals in many parts were made up of extended dry periods interspersed with a couple of remarkable rainfall events. Jabiru smashed its long-term highest wet season total with 2510.2 mm, which was even more than Darwin Airport’s highest recorded wet season total (2499.4 mm). More than a third of this 7-month total fell in one six-day period from late February, when the tropical low-pressure system that later became TC George was moving slowly through the area. Similarly in the south, a significant proportion of the wet-season total fell during one particular event in January. Numery, east of Alice Springs, recorded 246 mm rainfall in just one day (18 January). March saw some follow-up rain to some parts of the Alice-Springs district, mostly in the west.

Some sites had their highest total October to April rainfall on record.

Maximum temperature

Averaged over the wet season, maximum temperature was more than 1.5°C above average around the southwest corner of the Territory, ranging to within 0.5°C of average over most of the Top End. November, February and April were all warmer than normal.

Minimum temperature

Southern parts of the Alice Springs district also saw warmer than average minimum temperatures. Most of the northern half of the Territory averaged minimum temperatures within 0.5°C of the long-term average.

Some sites had their highest October to April mean daily minimum temperature on record.

Some sites had their lowest October to April mean daily minimum temperature on record.

Further information

NT Climate Services Centre
Bureau of Meteorology
Phone (08) 8920 3819
Email climate.NT@bom.gov.au

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Extremes

Hottest day Highest temperature	45.5°C at Wulungurru AWS on the 9th of Feb 2007
Warmest days on average Highest mean daily maximum temperature	37.9°C at Wulungurru AWS
Coolest days on average Lowest mean daily maximum temperature	30.6°C at McCluer Island AWS
Coldest day Lowest daily maximum temperature	15.7°C at Kulgera on the 28th of Mar 2007
Coldest night Lowest temperature	7.3°C at Yulara Aero AWS on the 28th of Apr 2007
Coolest nights on average Lowest mean daily minimum temperature	18.8°C at Yuendumu
Warmest nights on average Highest mean daily minimum temperature	26.3°C at Centre Island AWS
Warmest night Highest daily minimum temperature	32.0°C at Yulara Aero AWS on the 18th of Feb 2007
Wettest overall Highest total rainfall	2510.2 mm at Jabiru Airport AWS
Driest overall Lowest total rainfall	53.2 mm at Yulara Aero AWS
Wettest day Highest daily rainfall	393.4 mm at Jabiru Airport AWS on the 2nd of Mar 2007
Strongest wind Maximum wind gust	128 km/h at Middle Point AWS on the 5th of Mar 2007

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Records

Record highest total rainfall for the 2006/2007 wet season - October to April
	Total rainfall (mm)	Previous highest		Years of record
Jabiru Airport AWS	2510.2	2060.0	in 2005/06	18

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Record highest mean daily minimum temperature for the 2006/2007 wet season - October to April
	Mean daily minimum (°C)	Previous highest		Years of record
Curtin Springs	20.5	20.3	in 2005/06	36
Yulara Aero AWS	20.8	20.2	in 2005/06	17
Watarrka	21.9	21.7	in 1997/98	16

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Record lowest mean daily minimum temperature for the 2006/2007 wet season - October to April
	Mean daily minimum temperature (°C)	Previous lowest		Years of record
Wollogorang	21.7	21.9	in 1994/95	12

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Summaries

Summary statistics for the 2006/2007 wet season - October to April
	Maximum temperatures (°C)				Minimum temperatures (°C)				Rainfall (millimetres)
	Mean	Diff from normal	Highest		Mean	Diff from normal	Lowest		Total	Rank
Darwin-Daly (district 14GA)
Batchelor Aero AWS	34.5		39.8	2 Dec 2006	23.3		16.9	20 Apr 2007	1598.2
Black Point	32.0	+0.1	35.5	19 Dec 2006	25.4	0	20.6	2 Oct 2006	1077.0	normal
Bradshaw	37.2		43.7	10 Nov 2006	24.9		20.0	8 Apr 2007	528.6
Cape Don AWS	31.6		34.8	19 Nov 2006	25.4		20.8	3 Apr 2007	1405.6	normal
Central Arnhem Plateau AWS	33.0		38.3	30 Oct 2006	22.6		17.2	10 Oct 2006	1696.6
Channel Point	32.2	+0.1	36.1	6 Oct 2006	24.4	−0.1	19.5	11 Oct 2006	1491.8	normal
Darwin Airport	32.8	+0.4	36.5	15 Nov 2006	24.7	−0.1	20.7	4 Dec 2006	1623.2	normal
Delamere Weapons RangeAWS	36.4	+1.1	43.0	1 Dec 2006	23.7	+0.1	18.0	6 Oct 2006	558.2	equal lowest
Douglas River	35.2	+0.3	40.5	16 Nov 2006	22.9	−0.3	15.1	23 Apr 2007
Dum In Mirrie AWS	32.4		35.5	6 Oct 2006	25.1		20.8	6 Oct 2006	1648.2
Jabiru Airport AWS	35.3	+0.5	39.7	21 Oct 2006	24.2	−0.1	19.1	6 Oct 2006	2510.2	highest
Katherine Aviation Museum	35.7	+0.2	42.5	15 Nov 2006	23.3	−0.4	15.4	21 Apr 2007	1018.5	normal
Mango Farm	35.2	+0.4	40.8	15 Nov 2006	23.1	−0.2	16.7	23 Apr 2007	1494.4	normal
McCluer Island AWS	30.6		33.5	14 Dec 2006	26.2		20.3	3 Feb 2007	1351.0	high
Middle Point AWS	34.6		40.2	31 Oct 2006	23.0		17.1	6 Oct 2006	1675.4
Pine Creek Council	34.6		39.9	2 Dec 2006	23.5		18.2	23 Apr 2007	1344.6
Pirlangimpi AWS	32.8	+0.4	36.4	5 Dec 2006	24.2	+0.4	20.3	4 Oct 2006	1548.6	low
Point Fawcett AWS	31.8		34.4	20 Nov 2006	24.3		18.8	4 Oct 2006	1424.2
Tindal RAAF AWS	35.8	+0.8	42.5	10 Nov 2006	23.5	−0.2	15.4	21 Apr 2007	755.0	very low
Arnhem (district 14BC)
Alyangula Police	32.3	−0.6	36.5	5 Dec 2006	24.2	−0.6	18.8	6 Oct 2006	1122.8	normal
Gove Airport	31.3	−0.6	36.3	10 Nov 2006	23.4	−0.3	17.0	17 Oct 2006	1010.2	low
Groote Eylandt Airport AWS	33.5		38.2	11 Nov 2006	22.9		15.3	4 Oct 2006	1339.0
Maningrida Aero AWS	32.1		35.4	9 Feb 2007	24.0		18.2	5 Oct 2006	1187.0
Milingimbi AWS	32.1		36.3	10 Nov 2006	24.5		19.0	5 Oct 2006	1024.4
Ngayawili AWS	31.8		35.3	23 Nov 2006	24.3		18.4	8 Oct 2006	1060.6
Warruwi AWS	32.0	−0.2	35.7	5 Dec 2006	25.6	0	22.5	30 Oct 2006	744.8	low
Roper-Mcarthur (district 14DE)
Borroloola AWS	34.9	−0.2	43.9	15 Nov 2006	22.8	−0.7	15.0	20 Apr 2007	700.2	normal
Bulman AWS	35.5		42.9	10 Nov 2006	22.2		14.5	7 Oct 2006	1483.6
Centre Island AWS	33.4	0	38.9	4 Dec 2006	26.3	−0.1	22.6	3 Oct 2006	618.8	low
Daly Waters AWS	37.3	+1.4	44.5	15 Nov 2006	22.0	−0.8	13.6	6 Oct 2006	446.0	low
Larrimah	36.1	+0.4	43.1	15 Nov 2006	22.8	−0.3	15.1	8 Oct 2006	755.3	normal
McArthur River Mine	36.6	+0.3	43.8	15 Nov 2006	23.2	0	15.8	20 Apr 2007	594.4	normal
Ngukurr	36.3	+0.1	43.6	10 Nov 2006	24.3	+0.3	18.5	6 Oct 2006	658.7	normal
Wollogorang	35.5	−0.1	43.6	2 Dec 2006	21.7	−1.0	12.0	3 Oct 2006	646.2	low
Victoria (district 14F)
Kidman Springs	37.4	+0.7	44.0	10 Nov 2006	24.3	+0.4	15.5	8 Oct 2006	550.4	low
Lajamanu AWS	37.4	+0.9	44.0	1 Dec 2006	22.1	−0.2	13.3	1 Apr 2007	501.2	normal
Timber Creek	37.3	+0.9	43.7	15 Nov 2006	23.7	−0.5	15.5	8 Oct 2006	636.7	low
Victoria River Downs	36.8	+0.5	42.8	2 Dec 2006	23.3	−0.2	15.2	8 Oct 2006	491.6	low
Wave Hill	37.2	+0.5	44.0	10 Nov 2006	22.8	0	14.6	1 Apr 2007	452.6	low
Barkly (district 15A)
Brunette Downs	37.2	+0.8	43.9	1 Dec 2006	23.0	+0.2	15.6	31 Mar 2007	316.4	normal
Tennant Creek Airport	35.8	+0.5	42.7	1 Dec 2006	23.6	+0.2	14.7	31 Mar 2007	417.8	normal
Alice Springs (district 15B)
Ali Curung	36.2	+0.2	44.1	1 Dec 2006	20.7	−0.5	11.1	1 Apr 2007	477.0	normal
Alice Springs Airport	34.6	+1.5	42.6	29 Nov 2006	19.4	+1.5	7.9	31 Mar 2007	210.6	normal
Arltunga	33.4		42.1	29 Nov 2006	19.0		9.0	2 Apr 2007	414.3	high
Curtin Springs	35.9	+1.6	43.8	26 Nov 2006	20.5	+2.3	7.5	28 Apr 2007	129.3	normal
Kulgera	34.5	+1.5	44.7	29 Nov 2006	20.1	+1.6	9.0	31 Mar 2007	126.0	low
Papunya	36.0		43.5	26 Nov 2006	20.5		11.5	31 Mar 2007	190.6	normal
Territory Grape Farm AWS	35.3	+0.8	42.8	30 Nov 2006	18.9	−0.1	11.1	10 Oct 2006	304.4	normal
Watarrka	35.7	+0.7	44.0	1 Jan 2007	21.9	+1.5	8.5	29 Apr 2007	209.3	normal
Yuendumu	35.5	+1.2	41.9	2 Jan 2007	18.8	−1.1	9.3	1 Apr 2007	372.5	high
Yulara Aero AWS	35.9	+1.3	43.6	26 Nov 2006	20.8	+2.2	7.3	28 Apr 2007	53.2	low

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Notes

Further information

NT Climate Services Centre
Bureau of Meteorology
Phone (08) 8920 3819
Email climate.NT@bom.gov.au

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