Friday, 1 March 2019 - Seasonal Climate Summary for Greater Brisbane - Product code IDCKGC24L0
Greater Brisbane in summer 2018-19: A very dry and warm summer
It was a very dry summer in Greater Brisbane, with some sites reporting their driest summer on record. Mean maximum temperatures were warmer than usual, with a record run of days at or above 30 °C at Archerfield and Brisbane. Overnight temperatures were also warmer than usual at all sites.
A very dry summer
- Rainfall in Greater Brisbane was well below average for summer, and some sites had their lowest total summer rainfall on record or for at least 20 years
- December saw below to near-average rainfall reported at most sites in Greater Brisbane
- While the remnants of ex-tropical cyclone Owen produced moderate to locally heavier falls between 15 and 17 December, and some sites had their highest December daily rainfall on record, most locations in the Greater Brisbane area reported below average December rainfall, and some sites had their lowest total December rainfall on record
- Rainfall in the Greater Brisbane area was well below average in January, and the lowest on record for some locations; most of the rain for January fell in the first ten days of the month, with a few isolated showers producing light falls at some sites near the end of the month
- In February, rainfall totals ranged between 10 mm at Gatton to just more than 100 mm at Point Lookout, with most of the January rain falling in the first half of the month due to showers and onshore flow
Warmer than usual summer days and nights
- Most locations recorded mean maximum temperatures more than a degree
above the long-term average, and more than 2 °C at inland locations
such as Amberley, Gatton and Beaudesert; Gatton had its second-warmest summer mean
maximum temperature on record (highest is 34.2 °C in summer 2016-17)
- Brisbane and Archerfield had a record run of 46 days at or above 30 °C from 10 January to 24 February
- Summer mean minimum temperatures were up to a degree above average at most locations; Brisbane had a run of 57 nights at or above 20 °C, two days short of the record set in 1978
- December mean maximum and mean minimum temperatures were warmer than usual at most locations in Greater Brisbane; a low intensity heatwave at the start of the month resulted in a short spell of very warm days and nights
- It was a hot start to the year, with all locations in Greater Brisbane recording warmer than usual daytime temperatures in January; some locations recorded mean maximum temperatures more than 2 °C above average
- Overnight temperatures were near or above average at all sites in Greater Brisbane in January
- Brisbane had a record run of 18 days in a row at or above 32 °C ending on 2 February 2019, a record for any month
- Brisbane also had a record run of 16 days in a row at or above 32 °C in January, surpassing the previous January record of five days ending on 30 January 2001
- Mean minimum temperatures for February were warmer than average at all locations; Amberley had its equal highest February mean temperature on record
Brisbane
- Total rainfall for Brisbane was 116.8 mm, which is 28% of the long-term average of 420.3 mm
- The mean daily maximum temperature for Brisbane was 31.2 °C, which is 1.2 °C above the long-term average of 30.0 °C. This is the equal second-highest mean maximum temperature at this site (equal with summer 2005-06, highest is 31.3 °C in summer 2016-17). The warmest day was 35.7 °C on 22 Dec, and the coolest day was on 7 Dec when the temperature reached 25.7 °C
- The mean daily minimum temperature for Brisbane was 21.8 °C, which is 0.7 °C above the long-term average of 21.1 °C. The coldest morning was 17.2 °C on 26 Dec, and the warmest morning was on 14 Feb when the minimum temperature was 25.4 °C
Further information
- Media
- media@bom.gov.au (03) 9669 4057
- Enquiries
- helpdesk.climate@bom.gov.au
Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top
| Extremes in summer 2018-19 | |
|---|---|
| Hottest day | 42.9 °C at University of Queensland Gatton on 13 Feb 2019 |
| Warmest days on average | 34.1 °C at University of Queensland Gatton |
| Coolest days on average | 28.4 °C at Cape
Moreton Lighthouse |
| Coldest day | 23.9 °C at Cape Moreton Lighthouse on 7 Dec 2018 |
| Coldest night | 12.0 °C at University
of Queensland Gatton on 25 Dec 2018 |
| Coolest nights on average | 18.6 °C at University of Queensland Gatton |
| Warmest nights on average | 22.7 °C at Point
Lookout |
| Warmest night | 26.2 °C at Redcliffe on 14 Feb 2019 and at Logan City Water Treatment Plant on 15 Feb 2019 |
| Warmest on average overall | 26.5 °C at Brisbane |
| Coolest on average overall | 25.1 °C at Redland
(Alexandra Hills) |
| Wettest overall | 322.0 mm at Peachester |
| Driest overall | 15.3 mm at Mt
Tarampa |
| Wettest day | 118.6 mm at Rosevale
on 15 Dec 2018 |
| Strongest wind gust | 113 km/h at Cape Moreton Lighthouse on 22 Feb 2019 |
Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top
| Record lowest summer total rainfall | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New record (mm) |
Old record |
Years of record |
Average for summer |
||
| Harrisville Mary Street | 68.2 | 93.9 | in 1918 | 119 | 334.0 |
| University of Queensland Gatton | 47.2 | 82.5 | in 1918 | 119 | 308.2 |
| Manly Railway Station | 86.5 | 86.8 | in 1918 | 116 | 408.8 |
| Toogoolawah Post Office | 93.6 | 135.4 | in 1938 | 110 | 348.4 |
| Blackbutt Post Office | 159.4 | 166.6 | in 1992 | 105 | 343.4 |
| Sim Jue Creek | 95.0 | 98.0 | in 1938 | 78 | 381.8 |
| Amberley AMO | 137.8 | 165.2 | in 2005 | 75 | 356.4 |
| Rocky Point Sugar Mill | 107.2 | 111.9 | in 2013 | 54 | 468.3 |
| Capalaba Water Treat | 152.6 | 153.0 | in 2015 | 46 | 436.2 |
| Maroon Dam | 118.2 | 126.0 | in 2001 | 46 | 383.8 |
| Fort Lytton | 114.6 | 157.8 | in 1992 | 44 | 428.5 |
| Clontarf | 165.6 | 187.8 | in 2001 | 24 | 406.8 |
| Brisbane Aero | 98.2 | 150.6 | in 2013 | 23 | 376.2 |
| Logan City Water Treatment Plant | 141.5 | 159.2 | in 2015 | 23 | 386.5 |
| Lowest summer total rainfall for at least 20 years | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Observed (mm) |
Most recent lower |
Average for summer |
|||
| Alderley | 123.5 | 68.7 | in 1918* | 458.9 | |
| Somerset Dam | 166.4 | 148.5 | in 1938* | 403.0 | |
| Esk Post Office | 98.0 | 86.1 | in 1938* | 376.0 | |
| Archerfield Airport | 128.8 | 103.3 | in 1951* | 409.7 | |
| Lindfield | 180.8 | 178.4 | in 1976 | 432.1 | |
* 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
| Summary statistics for summer 2018-19 | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maximum temperatures ( °C) |
Minimum temperatures ( °C) |
Rainfall (millimetres) |
||||||||||
| Mean for summer 2018-19 |
Diff from average |
Highest for summer 2018-19 |
Mean for summer 2018-19 |
Diff from average |
Lowest for summer 2018-19 |
Total for summer 2018-19 |
Average for summer |
Rank of summer 2018-19 |
Fraction of summer average |
|||
| Amberley AMO | 32.8 | +2.0 | 41.5 | 2 Dec 2018 | 19.3 | +0.1 | 13.4 | 25 Dec 2018 | 137.8 | 356.4 | lowest | 39% |
| Archerfield Airport | 31.7 | +1.7 | 36.1 | 12 Feb 2019 | 20.7 | +0.9 | 13.9 | 25 Dec 2018 | 128.8 | 409.7 | v low | 31% |
| Beaudesert Drumley Street | 32.8 | +2.1 | 40.8 | 13 Feb 2019 | 19.1 | +0.3 | 13.6 | 25 Dec 2018 | 77.4 | 357.2 | v low | 22% |
| Beerburrum Forest Station | 30.8 | +0.9 | 39.8 | 2 Dec 2018 | 14.3 | 26 Dec 2018 | 166.0 | 561.8 | lowest | 30% | ||
| Brisbane | 31.2 | +1.2 | 35.7 | 22 Dec 2018 | 21.8 | +0.7 | 17.2 | 26 Dec 2018 | 116.8 | 420.3 | v low | 28% |
| Brisbane Aero | 29.5 | +0.7 | 33.2 | 22 Dec 2018 | 21.6 | +0.7 | 15.7 | 25 Dec 2018 | 98.2 | 376.2 | lowest | 26% |
| Cape Moreton Lighthouse | 28.4 | +1.7 | 30.9 | 10 Feb 2019 | 22.6 | +0.9 | 18.6 | 17 Dec 2018 | 193.8 | 425.7 | low | 46% |
| Logan City Water Treatment Plant | 30.4 | +0.9 | 35.6 | 13 Feb 2019 | 20.8 | +0.7 | 15.7 | 25 Dec 2018 | 141.5 | 386.5 | lowest | 37% |
| Point Lookout | 30.5 | +1.5 | 34.7 | 1 Feb 2019 | 22.7 | +0.5 | 19.8 | 6 Dec 2018 | 175.7 | 416.1 | v low | 42% |
| Redcliffe | 29.8 | +1.1 | 33.6 | 2 Dec 2018 | 22.5 | +0.8 | 18.0 | 26 Dec 2018 | 128.6 | 352.6 | v low | 36% |
| Redland (Alexandra Hills) | 29.2 | 31.6 | 1 Feb 2019 | 20.9 | 15.9 | 26 Dec 2018 | 123.4 | |||||
| University of Queensland Gatton | 34.1 | +2.8 | 42.9 | 13 Feb 2019 | 18.6 | -0.1 | 12.0 | 25 Dec 2018 | 47.2 | 308.2 | lowest | 15% |
Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top
Notes
The Seasonal climate summary, generally published on the first working day of each month, lists the main features of the weather in Greater Brisbane using the most timely and accurate information available on the date of publication; it will generally not be updated. More extensive discussion of significant weather events, along with later information and data that has had greater opportunity for quality control, will be presented in the Monthly Weather Review.
This summary includes data from observing sites in or near the Greater Brisbane “Greater Capital City Statistical Area” (GCCSA). The Australian Bureau of Statistics designed the GCCSAs to “include the population within the urban area of the city, as well as people who regularly socialise, shop or work within the city, and live in small towns and rural areas surrounding the city. It is important to note that GCCSAs do not define the built up edge of the city. They provide a stable definition for these cities and are designed for the output of a range of social and economic survey data.”
This statement has been prepared based on information available at 9 am on Friday 1 March 2019. Some checks have been made on the data, but it is possible that results will change as new information becomes available.
In some situations, some or all of the rainfall is in the form of hail or snow. In these cases the totals given are for the water equivalent: the depth of liquid water that results from melting any frozen precipitation. There can be significant 'undercatch' of snow in strong winds, meaning the true precipitation can be higher than that reported.
Averages for individual sites are long-term means based on
observations from all available years of record, which vary widely from
site to site. They are not shown for sites with less than 10 years of
record, as they cannot then be calculated reliably.
The median
is sometimes more representative than the mean
of long-term average 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, average in decile 4 to 7, high in decile
8 or 9 and very high is in decile 10).
The Fraction of average shows how much rain has fallen this time
as a percentage
of the long-term mean.
Where temperature area averages are mentioned, they are derived from the ACORN-SAT dataset.
Further information
- Media
- media@bom.gov.au (03) 9669 4057
- Enquiries
- helpdesk.climate@bom.gov.au
Unless otherwise noted, all maps, graphs and diagrams in this page are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence
