Thursday, 2 October 2008 - Seasonal Climate Summary for Northern Territory - Product code IDCKGC22R0
Northern Territory Dry Season May - September 2008
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Summary
Rainfall totals were above average over much of the southern Victoria River and northern Alice Springs districts. Elsewhere falls were scanty. Darwin Airport recorded it’s longest spell of rain-free days, while variable falls in far southern parts did little to ease long-running rainfall deficiencies there. Maximum temperatures were mostly close to average in the higher rainfall regions, and above average elsewhere. Minimum temperatures were mostly above average in the southeast, grading to below average in the northwest.
Rainfall
There were a couple of rainfall events during the season, in June, August and September that mostly influenced southern parts of the Victoria River district and northern parts of the Alice Springs district. Rabbit Flat received a total of 82.4 mm, which is its highest total Dry Season rainfall on record. Much of the Top End recorded no rainfall, except a few patches in the northwest and areas around the northeast corner. Darwin Airport recorded it’s longest on record dry spell, which ran for 167 days from 10 April to 23 September. Patchy rain in the southern parts of the Alice Springs district generally did little to ease long-running rainfall deficiencies in that region.
Some sites had their highest total Dry Season rainfall on record.
Maximum temperature
In the areas where the rainfall was above average maximum temperatures were close to the long-team mean. Elsewhere was generally warmer than average.
Minimum temperature
Minimum temperatures were mostly above average in the southeast, grading to below average in the northwest.
Some sites had their warmest Dry Season night (highest daily minimum temperature) on record.
Other phenomena
On the 27th of August a severe thunderstorm produced small hail near Palm Valley, in the Alice Springs District.
Many large bushfires burnt across the Top End during June, July and August.
Further information
NT Climate Services CentreBureau of Meteorology
Phone (08) 8920 3813
Email climate.nt@bom.gov.au
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Extremes
| Hottest day Highest temperature |
40.8°C at Elliott on 15 Sep |
|---|---|
| Warmest days on average Highest mean daily maximum temperature |
34.0°C at Middle Point AWS |
| Coolest days on average Lowest mean daily maximum temperature |
21.7°C at Arltunga |
| Coldest day Lowest daily maximum temperature |
11.2°C at Alice Springs Airport on 7 Jun 11.2°C at Arltunga on 7 Jun |
| Coldest night Lowest temperature |
−3.7°C at Arltunga on 25 Jul |
| Coolest nights on average Lowest mean daily minimum temperature |
6.0°C at Arltunga |
| Warmest nights on average Highest mean daily minimum temperature |
23.4°C at Cape Don AWS |
| Warmest night Highest daily minimum temperature | 28.2°C at Kidman Springs on 20 Sep |
| Wettest overall Highest total rainfall |
90.4 mm at Ali Curung |
| Wettest day Highest daily rainfall |
61.8 mm at Upper Waterhouse River on 12 Sep |
| Highest wind gust |
102 km/h at Alice Springs Airport on 22 Sep |
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Records
| Record highest total Dry Season rainfall | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 Dry Season total rainfall (mm) | Previous highest | Years of record |
|||
| Rabbit Flat | 82.4 | 53.0 | in 2007 | 11 | |
| Record highest Dry Season daily minimum temperature | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
2008 Dry Season highest daily minimum temperature (°C) |
Previous highest | Years of record |
||||
| Kidman Springs | 28.2 | on 20 Sep | 28.0 | on 27 Sep 2003 | 11 | |
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Summaries
This table is very wide and may not fit if printed.
| Summary statistics for Dry Season 2008 | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maximum temperatures (°C) | Minimum temperatures (°C) | Rainfall (millimetres) | ||||||||||
| Mean | Diff from normal |
Highest | Mean | Diff from normal |
Lowest | Total | Rank | Fraction | ||||
| Darwin-Daly (district 14GA) | ||||||||||||
| Batchelor Aero AWS | 33.3 | 38.4 | 17 Sep | 17.5 | 9.2 | 26 Jul | 7.8 | |||||
| Black Point | 31.0 | 34.4 | 25 Sep | 22.1 | 16.0 | 26 Jul | 3.0 | low | 7% | |||
| Bradshaw AWS | 33.6 | 39.5 | 29 Sep | 17.4 | 6.3 | 11 Jul | 0.4 | |||||
| Cape Don AWS | 30.0 | 33.1 | 1 May | 23.4 | 19.5 | 26 Jul | 21.8 | |||||
| Channel Point | 29.8 | 33.7 | 25 Sep | 18.1 | 11.5 | 27 Jul | 0 | lowest | 0% | |||
| Darwin Airport | 32.2 | +0.8 | 37.0 | 10 Sep | 20.3 | −0.6 | 12.5 | 27 Jul | 5.2 | low | 12% | |
| Delamere Weapons Range AWS | 31.1 | 37.8 | 14 Sep | 16.4 | 9.0 | 12 Jul | 14.2 | |||||
| Douglas River | 33.5 | +0.2 | 39.9 | 18 Sep | 14.9 | −0.8 | 5.0 | 26 Jul | 16.6 | high | 81% | |
| Dum In Mirrie AWS | 31.4 | 35.9 | 10 Sep | 19.6 | 10.7 | 26 Jul | 4.2 | |||||
| Jabiru Airport AWS | 33.9 | +0.5 | 39.6 | 18 Sep | 20.4 | +0.5 | 13.5 | 26 Jul | 15.0 | average | 62% | |
| Katherine Aviation Museum | 31.8 | −0.4 | 38.4 | 16 Sep | 14.6 | −1.2 | 4.6 | 10 Jul | 1.0 | average | 8% | |
| Mango Farm | 33.0 | −0.1 | 39.1 | 18 Sep | 15.7 | −1.2 | 4.4 | 26 Jul | 20.6 | average | 89% | |
| McCluer Island AWS | 28.1 | 31.6 | 8 Sep | 23.8 | 20.4 | 10 Jul | 2.6 | |||||
| Middle Point AWS | 34.0 | 39.4 | 19 Sep | 15.6 | 5.3 | 26 Jul | 11.0 | |||||
| Oenpelli | 33.4 | +0.1 | 38.3 | 17 Sep | 20.0 | +0.4 | 10.0 | 26 Jul | 0 | lowest | 0% | |
| Pine Creek Council | 32.3 | 39.9 | 30 Sep | 18.1 | 11.2 | 10 Jul | 21.6 | |||||
| Pirlangimpi | 32.3 | +0.5 | 36.4 | 9 Sep | 20.1 | +0.3 | 13.9 | 26 Jul | 14.0 | low | 22% | |
| Port Keats Aero AWS | 32.4 | 37.3 | 10 Sep | 17.7 | 10.4 | 12 Jul | 0.2 | |||||
| Tindal RAAF AWS | 32.2 | +0.2 | 38.9 | 16 Sep | 14.7 | −1.7 | 4.9 | 10 Jul | 0 | lowest | 0% | |
| Arnhem (district 14BC) | ||||||||||||
| Alyangula Police | 29.2 | −0.3 | 32.5 | 10 Sep | 19.4 | +0.2 | 12.8 | 30 Jul | 29.0 | average | 58% | |
| Gove Airport | 28.8 | −0.1 | 32.0 | 30 Sep | 20.9 | +0.4 | 13.5 | 30 Jul | 80.8 | low | 53% | |
| Groote Eylandt Airport AWS | 30.4 | 35.6 | 28 Sep | 16.6 | 8.0 | 30 Jul | 17.8 | |||||
| Maningrida Aero AWS | 31.6 | 36.8 | 9 Sep | 19.9 | 11.0 | 26 Jul | 0.2 | |||||
| Milingimbi AWS | 31.3 | 36.3 | 10 Sep | 20.3 | 12.3 | 26 Jul | 1.2 | |||||
| Ngayawili AWS | 30.6 | 34.3 | 9 Sep | 20.6 | 11.6 | 26 Jul | 18.6 | |||||
| Warruwi AWS | 30.0 | +0.4 | 33.8 | 8 Sep | 22.7 | +0.2 | 17.9 | 4 Aug | 0.4 | low | 2% | |
| Roper-Mcarthur (district 14DE) | ||||||||||||
| Borroloola AWS | 31.8 | 38.9 | 30 Sep | 14.0 | 3.8 | 10 Jul | 0.2 | |||||
| Bulman AWS | 32.4 | 39.4 | 30 Sep | 15.0 | 5.5 | 26 Jul | 0 | |||||
| Centre Island AWS | 28.3 | 0.0 | 36.4 | 30 Sep | 20.5 | 0.0 | 16.2 | 12 Jul | 2.6 | low | 11% | |
| Daly Waters AWS | 31.9 | +1.1 | 38.9 | 18 Sep | 13.1 | −1.4 | 3.4 | 11 Jul | 0 | lowest | 0% | |
| Larrimah | 31.8 | +0.3 | 38.5 | 19 Sep | 14.0 | −1.0 | 2.6 | 10 Jul | 0.4 | average | 2% | |
| McArthur River Mine | 32.4 | 40.1 | 18 Sep | 14.9 | 3.8 | 10 Jul | 0 | lowest | 0% | |||
| Ngukurr | 31.4 | −0.3 | 39.0 | 30 Sep | 17.2 | 9.5 | 10 Jul | 0 | lowest | 0% | ||
| Wollogorang | 31.3 | +0.2 | 39.5 | 30 Sep | 13.7 | −0.1 | 2.7 | 11 Jul | 0 | lowest | 0% | |
| Victoria (district 14F) | ||||||||||||
| Kidman Springs | 32.1 | −0.2 | 39.5 | 14 Sep | 14.0 | −1.0 | 4.4 | 12 Jul | 1.4 | low | 9% | |
| Lajamanu AWS | 28.9 | −0.4 | 39.0 | 19 Sep | 11.7 | −0.3 | 1.4 | 25 Jul | 50.2 | high | 268% | |
| Timber Creek | 32.7 | +0.1 | 39.7 | 15 Sep | 15.6 | −1.5 | 4.8 | 11 Jul | 4.9 | average | 26% | |
| Victoria River Downs | 31.9 | +0.4 | 39.3 | 17 Sep | 12.5 | −1.7 | 2.1 | 10 Jul | 1.0 | average | 6% | |
| Wave Hill | 30.8 | 0.0 | 39.5 | 29 Sep | 12.9 | −0.7 | 2.0 | 25 Jul | 15.0 | average | 53% | |
| Barkly (district 15A) | ||||||||||||
| Brunette Downs | 29.4 | +0.1 | 38.7 | 12 Sep | 13.2 | −0.1 | 4.0 | 28 May | 1.8 | low | 6% | |
| Tennant Creek Airport | 27.2 | +0.1 | 37.8 | 13 Sep | 14.9 | +0.1 | 8.1 | 25 Jul | 45.0 | high | 165% | |
| Alice Springs (district 15B) | ||||||||||||
| Ali Curung | 26.5 | −0.6 | 37.2 | 20 Sep | 1.2 | 19 Aug | 90.4 | high | 242% | |||
| Alice Springs Airport | 23.1 | +0.6 | 36.6 | 18 Sep | 6.9 | +0.2 | −2.4 | 24 Jul | 21.8 | low | 33% | |
| Arltunga | 21.7 | 35.3 | 18 Sep | 6.0 | −3.7 | 25 Jul | 58.0 | average | 105% | |||
| Curtin Springs | 23.6 | +0.7 | 35.7 | 27 Sep | 6.9 | +0.5 | −2.4 | 25 Jul | 33.4 | average | 54% | |
| Jervois | 24.4 | −0.5 | 38.0 | 20 Sep | 9.1 | +1.1 | 0.8 | 12 Jul | 62.8 | average | 110% | |
| Kulgera | 22.2 | +0.4 | 35.9 | 27 Sep | 7.3 | −0.3 | −2.8 | 11 Aug | 24.4 | low | 37% | |
| Papunya | 25.5 | 36.6 | 28 Sep | 8.6 | 0.8 | 24 Jul | 13.3 | low | 21% | |||
| Rabbit Flat | 28.6 | 38.6 | 19 Sep | 9.1 | −1.3 | 12 Jul | 82.4 | highest | 368% | |||
| Territory Grape Farm AWS | 24.7 | 37.0 | 20 Sep | 8.7 | 0.3 | 25 Jul | 64.8 | high | 128% | |||
| Watarrka | 24.2 | −0.3 | 36.1 | 21 Sep | 8.6 | −0.7 | −1.0 | 25 Jul | 23.0 | average | 31% | |
| Yuendumu | 25.8 | +1.1 | 37.2 | 20 Sep | 9.2 | −0.1 | 0.6 | 13 Jul | 54.7 | average | 83% | |
| Yulara Aero AWS | 23.6 | 0.0 | 36.0 | 21 Sep | 6.9 | −0.2 | −2.6 | 25 Jul | 21.2 | |||
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Notes
This statement has been prepared based on information available at 11 am on Thursday 2 October 2008. Some checks have been made on the data, but it is possible that results will change as new information becomes available.
Normals are long-term means based on observations from
the years 1800 to 2007.
They are not shown for sites with less than 10 years of record in that time, as they cannot then be calculated reliably.
The median
is sometimes more representative than the
mean
of long-term average ("normal") rain.
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