Thursday, 1 May 2008 - Seasonal Climate Summary for Northern Territory - Product code IDCKGC22R0
Northern Territory Wet Season - October 2007 to April 2008.
Summary
The 2007/08 wet season in the north was characterised by well-defined active and break cycles. October was relatively dry, while in the northwest at least, showers and storms became relatively frequent in November. December started dry and hot but active monsoonal conditions set in during the latter part of the month, and December rainfall totals ended up being greater than average over most of the Top End. The active monsoon persisted into January. Darwin recorded its first instance of cyclone-related gale-force winds since TC Gretel in 1985, as Tropical Cyclone Helen made landfall on the Top End coast near Channel Point, around 10pm on 4 January. Late January saw a break in the monsoon when conditions more akin to the build-up returned, before the monsoon reinvigorated about a week into February, and lingered for much of the month. March saw the monsoon trough linger just offshore for most of the month, though rain days were frequent. By early April dry conditions established over most of the Top End and persisted for the remainder of the month.
By contrast to the above average falls recorded over much of the Top End, southern parts of the Territory, in particular the Barkly and Alice Springs districts, basically saw generally hotter than average conditions and a failure of their summer rains, with very much below average falls recorded there during this season. January in particular saw extremely hot days, compounding the impact of the dry conditions.
Jump to: Extremes Records Summaries Notes the top
Rainfall
The wettest overall was 2292.2 mm at Channel Point.
The wettest single day 345.6 mm at Dum In Mirrie AWS on 20 Feb 2008.
Some sites had their lowest total October to April rainfall on record.
Maximum temperature
The hottest day was 46.5°C at Elliott on 2 Dec 2007.
The warmest days on average were 38.3°C at Elliott.
The coolest days on average were 31.2°C at McCluer Island AWS.
The coldest day was 16.5°C at Curtin Springs on 4 Nov 2007.
Minimum temperature
The coldest night was 5.8°C at Arltunga on 15 Oct 2007.
The coolest nights on average were 18.0°C at Alice Springs Airport.
The warmest nights on average were 26.4°C at Centre Island AWS.
The warmest night was 33.5°C at Wulungurru AWS on 10 Jan 2008.
Some sites had their lowest October to April mean daily minimum temperature on record.
Further information
NT Climate Services CentreBureau of Meteorology
Phone (08) 8920 3813
Email climate.nt@bom.gov.au
Extremes
| Hottest day Highest temperature | 46.5°C at Elliott on 2 Dec 2007 |
|---|---|
| Warmest days on average Highest mean daily maximum temperature | 38.3°C at Elliott |
| Coolest days on average Lowest mean daily maximum temperature |
31.2°C at McCluer Island AWS |
| Coldest day Lowest daily maximum temperature | 16.5°C at Curtin Springs on 4 Nov 2007 |
| Coldest night Lowest temperature | 5.8°C at Arltunga on 15 Oct 2007 |
| Coolest nights on average Lowest mean daily minimum temperature | 18.0°C at Alice Springs Airport |
| Warmest nights on average Highest mean daily minimum temperature |
26.5°C at McCluer Island AWS |
| Warmest night Highest daily minimum temperature |
33.5°C at Wulungurru AWS on 10 Jan 2008 |
| Wettest overall Highest total rainfall | 2292.2 mm at Channel Point |
| Wettest day Highest daily rainfall |
345.6 mm at Dum In Mirrie AWS on 20 Feb 2008 |
| Highest wind gust | 111 km/h at McArthur River Mine on 20 Jan 2008 |
Jump to: Extremes Records Summaries Notes the top
Records
| Record lowest total rainfall for the 2007/2008 wet season - October to April | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Total rainfall (mm) |
Previous lowest |
Years of record |
||
Jervois |
43.8 |
65.2 |
in 1968/69 |
39 |
Tennant Creek Airport |
121.6 |
149.6 |
in 1991/92 |
38 |
Kulgera |
48.9 |
52.2 |
in 1985/86 |
30 |
Territory Grape Farm AWS |
65.2 |
111.8 |
in 1991/92 |
11 |
| Record lowest mean daily minimum temperature for the 2007/2008 wet season - October to April | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Mean daily minimum temperature (°C) |
Previous lowest | Years of record |
||
Mango Farm |
22.6 |
22.7 |
in 1995/96 |
23 |
Timber Creek |
22.9 |
23.3 |
in 1996/97 |
26 |
Katherine Aviation Museum |
22.6 |
23.1 |
in 1996/97 |
20 |
Tindal RAAF AWS |
22.9 |
23.0 |
in 1996/97 |
17 |
Jump to: Extremes Records Summaries Notes the top
Summaries
This table is very wide and may not fit if printed.
| Summary statistics for the 2007/2008 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 | Fraction of normal |
||||
| Darwin-Daly (district 14GA) | ||||||||||||
Batchelor Aero AWS |
33.6 |
37.9 |
12 Oct 2007 |
22.9 |
12.6 |
27 Apr 2008 |
1978.4 |
normal |
130% |
|||
Black Point |
32.2 |
+0.3 |
35.5 |
15 Oct 2007 |
25.5 |
0.0 |
20.9 |
21 Feb 2008 |
901.8 |
low |
75% |
|
Bradshaw AWS |
36.3 |
41.7 |
12 Oct 2007 |
24.1 |
14.0 |
26 Apr 2008 |
747.2 |
|||||
Cape Don AWS |
31.9 |
35.4 |
8 Dec 2007 |
25.7 |
21.8 |
21 Mar 2008 |
1556.4 |
normal |
125% |
|||
Channel Point |
34.8 |
5 Dec 2007 |
17.0 |
27 Apr 2008 |
2292.2 |
high |
130% |
|||||
Darwin Airport |
32.8 |
+0.4 |
37.0 |
23 Nov 2007 |
24.7 |
−0.1 |
20.0 |
27 Apr 2008 |
1864.2 |
high |
112% |
|
Delamere Weapons Range AWS |
35.4 |
0.0 |
42.0 |
2 Dec 2007 |
23.0 |
−0.7 |
13.0 |
27 Apr 2008 |
921.8 |
normal |
99% |
|
Douglas River |
34.8 |
−0.2 |
40.3 |
12 Oct 2007 |
22.7 |
−0.3 |
11.2 |
28 Apr 2008 |
1513.2 |
high |
121% |
|
Dum In Mirrie AWS |
32.2 |
+0.1 |
35.8 |
14 Oct 2007 |
25.0 |
−0.5 |
18.2 |
26 Apr 2008 |
2102.2 |
high |
120% |
|
Jabiru Airport AWS |
35.2 |
+0.4 |
40.3 |
11 Nov 2007 |
24.4 |
+0.1 |
18.6 |
28 Apr 2008 |
1658.4 |
high |
110% |
|
Katherine Aviation Museum |
35.1 |
−0.4 |
40.5 |
12 Oct 2007 |
22.6 |
−1.0 |
11.5 |
27 Apr 2008 |
1341.1 |
high |
122% |
|
Mango Farm |
34.5 |
−0.3 |
39.9 |
12 Oct 2007 |
22.6 |
−0.6 |
12.9 |
27 Apr 2008 |
1772.9 |
very high |
132% |
|
McCluer Island AWS |
31.2 |
34.3 |
21 Nov 2007 |
26.5 |
22.1 |
6 Jan 2008 |
1101.0 |
normal |
96% |
|||
Middle Point AWS |
34.6 |
39.0 |
15 Oct 2007 |
23.0 |
15.1 |
18 Apr 2008 |
1592.8 |
|||||
Oenpelli |
34.9 |
+0.4 |
40.2 |
9 Nov 2007 |
17.8 |
15 Oct 2007 |
1107.0 |
low |
80% |
|||
Pine Creek Council AWS |
34.2 |
38.9 |
12 Oct 2007 |
23.1 |
15.4 |
28 Apr 2008 |
1650.7 |
|||||
Pirlangimpi AWS |
32.8 |
+0.4 |
36.0 |
8 Dec 2007 |
24.2 |
+0.3 |
19.8 |
19 Apr 2008 |
2070.4 |
normal |
106% |
|
Point Fawcett AWS |
31.8 |
−0.4 |
35.1 |
14 Oct 2007 |
24.2 |
−0.8 |
17.4 |
21 Apr 2008 |
1634.0 |
|||
Port Keats Aero AWS |
38.6 |
14 Oct 2007 |
13.8 |
27 Apr 2008 |
689.6 |
|||||||
Tindal RAAF AWS |
35.1 |
0.0 |
40.0 |
30 Nov 2007 |
22.9 |
−0.8 |
11.5 |
27 Apr 2008 |
1105.2 |
normal |
103% |
|
Arnhem (district 14BC) | ||||||||||||
Alyangula Police |
32.8 |
−0.1 |
37.5 |
2 Dec 2007 |
24.9 |
+0.1 |
19.2 |
1 Nov 2007 |
1015.9 |
normal |
90% |
|
Gove Airport |
32.0 |
+0.2 |
36.9 |
2 Dec 2007 |
23.7 |
0.0 |
19.1 |
2 Oct 2007 |
1090.6 |
normal |
85% |
|
Groote Eylandt Airport AWS |
33.1 |
39.1 |
1 Dec 2007 |
23.1 |
13.7 |
27 Apr 2008 |
1695.4 |
|||||
Maningrida Aero AWS |
32.8 |
38.5 |
2 Dec 2007 |
24.3 |
17.4 |
28 Apr 2008 |
1455.2 |
|||||
Milingimbi AWS |
32.8 |
37.6 |
2 Dec 2007 |
24.8 |
20.0 |
28 Apr 2008 |
1218.4 |
|||||
Ngayawili AWS |
32.1 |
37.7 |
7 Nov 2007 |
24.5 |
18.7 |
28 Apr 2008 |
1761.0 |
|||||
Warruwi AWS |
32.3 |
0.0 |
37.4 |
3 Dec 2007 |
26.0 |
+0.4 |
22.2 |
28 Apr 2008 |
784.2 |
low |
69% |
|
Roper-Mcarthur (district 14DE) | ||||||||||||
Borroloola AWS |
35.4 |
+0.4 |
42.9 |
2 Dec 2007 |
23.1 |
−0.4 |
11.2 |
26 Apr 2008 |
809.2 |
normal |
88% |
|
Bulman AWS |
35.9 |
42.6 |
1 Dec 2007 |
22.8 |
11.8 |
27 Apr 2008 |
1433.6 |
|||||
Centre Island AWS |
33.7 |
+0.4 |
39.0 |
1 Dec 2007 |
26.4 |
+0.1 |
21.4 |
27 Apr 2008 |
902.0 |
normal |
90% |
|
Daly Waters AWS |
36.7 |
+0.7 |
44.3 |
2 Dec 2007 |
22.2 |
−0.6 |
9.1 |
27 Apr 2008 |
713.4 |
normal |
114% |
|
Larrimah |
36.0 |
+0.3 |
43.5 |
2 Dec 2007 |
22.5 |
−0.6 |
11.8 |
26 Apr 2008 |
827.9 |
normal |
100% |
|
McArthur River Mine |
37.2 |
+0.6 |
45.1 |
2 Dec 2007 |
23.7 |
+0.4 |
12.0 |
26 Apr 2008 |
570.2 |
low |
78% |
|
Ngukurr |
43.1 |
30 Nov 2007 |
15.5 |
28 Apr 2008 |
1308.1 |
very high |
177% |
|||||
Wollogorang |
36.0 |
+0.3 |
44.3 |
2 Dec 2007 |
22.3 |
−0.3 |
11.7 |
25 Apr 2008 |
690.7 |
normal |
75% |
|
Victoria (district 14F) | ||||||||||||
Kidman Springs |
37.0 |
+0.2 |
43.2 |
9 Jan 2008 |
23.3 |
−0.7 |
11.3 |
27 Apr 2008 |
901.2 |
high |
125% |
|
Lajamanu AWS |
37.6 |
+1.2 |
44.4 |
21 Jan 2008 |
22.0 |
−0.2 |
12.0 |
19 Apr 2008 |
355.4 |
normal |
74% |
|
Timber Creek |
37.2 |
+0.7 |
42.3 |
12 Oct 2007 |
22.9 |
−1.3 |
11.0 |
28 Apr 2008 |
846.4 |
normal |
92% |
|
Victoria River Downs |
36.6 |
+0.1 |
43.3 |
3 Dec 2007 |
22.7 |
−0.8 |
10.6 |
26 Apr 2008 |
974.3 |
very high |
154% |
|
Wave Hill |
37.4 |
+0.6 |
45.2 |
2 Dec 2007 |
22.4 |
−0.3 |
11.0 |
27 Apr 2008 |
422.7 |
very low |
64% |
|
Barkly (district 15A) | ||||||||||||
Brunette Downs |
37.7 |
+1.2 |
45.5 |
2 Dec 2007 |
23.0 |
+0.3 |
12.7 |
26 Apr 2008 |
250.2 |
low |
64% |
|
Elliott |
46.5 |
2 Dec 2007 |
11.5 |
28 Apr 2008 |
389.3 |
low |
68% |
|||||
Tennant Creek Airport |
36.9 |
+1.6 |
45.4 |
2 Dec 2007 |
24.2 |
+0.8 |
15.4 |
14 Oct 2007 |
121.6 |
lowest |
29% |
|
Alice Springs (district 15B) | ||||||||||||
Ali Curung |
37.1 |
+1.2 |
46.0 |
2 Dec 2007 |
21.2 |
+0.1 |
8.9 |
14 Oct 2007 |
93.5 |
very low |
27% |
|
Alice Springs Airport |
34.0 |
+0.8 |
42.6 |
1 Dec 2007 |
18.0 |
+0.1 |
6.4 |
16 Apr 2008 |
68.0 |
very low |
32% |
|
Arltunga |
33.1 |
41.2 |
1 Dec 2007 |
18.3 |
5.8 |
15 Oct 2007 |
46.1 |
very low |
20% |
|||
Curtin Springs |
34.8 |
+0.6 |
44.3 |
5 Jan 2008 |
18.6 |
+0.4 |
7.5 |
28 Apr 2008 |
104.7 |
normal |
63% |
|
Jervois |
36.0 |
+0.7 |
43.1 |
22 Feb 2008 |
20.4 |
+1.3 |
7.0 |
29 Apr 2008 |
43.8 |
lowest |
19% |
|
Kulgera |
42.5 |
1 Dec 2007 |
6.5 |
16 Apr 2008 |
48.9 |
lowest |
25% |
|||||
Papunya |
36.1 |
44.1 |
1 Dec 2007 |
19.1 |
10.2 |
1 Oct 2007 |
89.7 |
low |
44% |
|||
Rabbit Flat |
38.0 |
+0.9 |
45.3 |
1 Dec 2007 |
20.7 |
−1.0 |
7.8 |
1 Oct 2007 |
240.6 |
low |
51% |
|
Territory Grape Farm AWS |
35.5 |
+0.9 |
43.6 |
2 Dec 2007 |
19.1 |
+0.1 |
8.6 |
14 Oct 2007 |
65.2 |
lowest |
26% |
|
Watarrka |
34.6 |
−0.4 |
42.9 |
1 Dec 2007 |
19.6 |
−0.9 |
6.3 |
27 Apr 2008 |
200.3 |
normal |
87% |
|
Wulungurru AWS |
37.1 |
44.8 |
20 Feb 2008 |
23.6 |
13.6 |
28 Apr 2008 |
18.2 |
|||||
Yuendumu |
35.7 |
+1.5 |
44.6 |
2 Dec 2007 |
9.5 |
15 Oct 2007 |
89.8 |
low |
30% |
|||
Yulara Aero AWS |
34.7 |
0.0 |
44.0 |
1 Dec 2007 |
18.8 |
0.0 |
6.2 |
15 Oct 2007 |
147.0 |
normal |
70% |
|
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Notes
This statement has been prepared based on information available at 1 pm on Wednesday 30 April 2008. Some checks have been made on the data, but it is possible that results will change as new information becomes available.
The Rank indicates how rainfall this time compares with the climate record for the site,
based on the
decile ranking
(very low rainfall is in decile 1, low in decile 2 or 3,
normal in decile 4 to 7, high in decile 8 or 9
and very high is in decile 10).
The Fraction of normal shows how much rain has fallen this time as a
percentage of the long-term mean.
Further information
NT Climate Services CentreBureau of Meteorology
Phone (08) 8920 3813
Email climate.nt@bom.gov.au