Wednesday, 1 September 2021 - Seasonal Climate Summary for Greater Adelaide - Product code IDCKGC23L0

Greater Adelaide in winter 2021: Warm days and nights, above average rainfall

Winter rainfall was above average at most reporting sites across Greater Adelaide. Despite a few cold spells during the season, both mean daytime and night-time temperatures were above average for Greater Adelaide.

Above average rainfall

  • Rainfall in winter 2021 was above at most sites across Adelaide and the Hills.
  • Rainfall totals were generally more than 20% higher than average for most locations with some locations reporting their highest total winter rainfall on record
  • Heavy rainfall in June resulted in Adelaide (Keswick) reporting its highest winter daily rainfall on record
  • Rainfall totals ranged from 120% of average at Adelaide Airport to 134% of average at Mount Crawford.

Warmer than average days and nights

  • Mean daytime and night-time temperatures for winter were above average but within 1 °C of the long term average at most sites across Adelaide and the Hills.
  • The warmer than average daytime and night-time temperatures resulted in Mount Barker reporting its highest winter mean temperature for at least 20 years
  • The passage of a vigorous cold front in July saw several locations report their coldest winter day (lowest maximum temperature) on record
  • The coldest night at most sites was on 27 August, when temperatures dropped below zero in the Hills and northern suburbs

Adelaide (West Terrace / ngayirdapira)

  • Total rainfall for Adelaide (West Terrace / ngayirdapira) was 258.4 mm, (this includes an estimated 14 mm on July 22nd and 23rd) which is 130% of the long-term average of 198.7 mm.
  • The mean daily maximum temperature for Adelaide (West Terrace / ngayirdapira) was 16.3 °C, which is 0.7 °C above the long-term average of 15.6 °C
  • The warmest day was 23.8 °C on 22 August, and the coolest day was on 22 July when the temperature reached 9.1 °C
  • The mean daily minimum temperature for Adelaide (West Terrace / ngayirdapira) was 8.9 °C, which is 0.9 °C above the long-term average of 8.0 °C
  • The coldest morning was 1.9 °C on 27 August, and the warmest morning was on 20 August when the minimum temperature was 14.1 °C

Further information

Media
(03) 9669 4057

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top

Extremes in winter 2021
Hottest day 24.4 °C at Parafield Airport on 22 Aug
Warmest days on average 16.6 °C at Parafield Airport
Coolest days on average 10.4 °C at Mount Lofty
Coldest day 5.2 °C at Mount Lofty on 22 Jul
Coldest night -1.0 °C at Parafield Airport on 27 Aug
Coolest nights on average 5.6 °C at Mount Lofty
Warmest nights on average 9.4 °C at Noarlunga
Warmest night 14.1 °C at Adelaide (West Terrace / ngayirdapira) on 20 Aug
Warmest on average overall 12.6 °C at Adelaide (West Terrace / ngayirdapira)
Coolest on average overall 8.0 °C at Mount Lofty
Wettest overall 621.9 mm at Piccadilly (Woodhouse)
Wettest day 52.8 mm at Mount Lofty (Cleland Conservation Park) on 28 Jun
Strongest wind gust 102 km/h at Mount Crawford AWS on 24 Jul

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top

Record highest winter daily rainfall
New record
(mm)		 Old
record		 Years of
record
Adelaide (Keswick) 46.8 on 18 Jun 43.2 on 5 Jul 2016 21


Record highest winter total rainfall
New record
(mm)		 Old
record		 Years of
record		 Average for
winter
Crafers West 554.4 554.2 in 2004 21 399.4
Ironstone Road 450.0 409.0 in 2013 21 315.7


Record lowest winter daily maximum temperature
New record
(°C)		 Old
record		 Years of
record		 Average for
winter
Adelaide Airport 9.4 on 22 Jul 9.8 on 28 Jul 1998 67 15.6
Parafield Airport 8.9 on 22 Jul 9.5 on 1 Jun 1989 65 15.8
Edinburgh RAAF 8.8 on 22 Jul 9.4 on 28 Jul 1998 49 15.9
Noarlunga 9.4 on 22 Jul 9.5 on 12 Jul 2005 21 15.4


Record highest winter mean daily minimum temperature
New record
(°C)		 Old
record		 Years of
record		 Average for
winter
Mount Barker 6.8 = 6.8 in 2013 118 4.9


Record highest winter mean temperature
New record
(°C)		 Old
record		 Years of
record		 Average for
winter
Mount Lofty 8.0 = 8.0 in 2017 20 7.3

Highest winter mean temperature for at least 20 years
Observed
(°C)		 Most recent
higher		 Average for
winter
Mount Barker 10.7 11.3 in 1867* 9.3

* 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

Summary statistics for winter 2021
Maximum temperatures
(°C)		 Minimum temperatures
(°C)		 Rainfall
(millimetres)
Mean for
winter
2021		 Diff
from
average		 Highest for
winter
2021		 Mean for
winter
2021		 Diff
from
average		 Lowest for
winter
2021		 Total for
winter
2021		 Average
for
winter		 Rank of
winter
2021		 Fraction of
winter
average
Adelaide (West Terrace / ngayirdapira) 16.3 +0.7 23.8 22 Aug 8.9 +0.9 1.9 27 Aug 258.4* 198.7 130%*
Adelaide Airport 16.1 +0.5 23.6 22 Aug 8.6 +1.2 2.0 27 Aug 199.0 165.3 high 120%
Edinburgh RAAF 16.3 +0.4 24.2 22 Aug 7.4 +1.0 0.4 27 Aug 201.4 155.9 high 129%
Kuitpo Forest Reserve 13.2 +0.2 20.0 2 Jun 7.2 +0.3 3.1 27 Aug 381.4 311.9 high 122%
Mount Barker 14.6 +0.9 20.8 31 Aug 6.8 +1.9 -0.3 27 Aug 410.2 309.9 high 132%
Mount Crawford AWS 11.9 +0.2 19.2 22 Aug 6.3 +0.2 2.1 22 Jul 358.6 268.3 high 134%
Mount Lofty 10.4 +1.0 18.1 22 Aug 5.6 +0.4 1.2 22 Jul 516.8^ 424.1 high 122%^
Noarlunga 15.7 +0.3 22.0 22 Aug 9.4 +0.5 4.1 21 Jul 228.4 182.1 high 125%
Parafield Airport 16.6 +0.8 24.4 22 Aug 7.2 +0.6 -1.0 27 Aug 206.4 165.5 high 125%

* note: This includes an estimated rainfall total of 14 mm for the 22nd and 23rd July at Adelaide (West Terrace / ngayirdapira).

^ note: This includes an estimated rainfall total of 44 mm for the 25th to 27th July at Mount Lofty.

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 Adelaide 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 Adelaide “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 12 pm on Wednesday 1 September 2021. 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
(03) 9669 4057

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