Monday, June 2 2008 - Seasonal Climate Summary for Tasmania - Product code IDCKGC27R0

Tasmania in autumn 2008: Mostly settled weather, very little rain

Autumn was another dry season for Tasmania, with very few significant rain events. Rainfalls over most of the state were well below the long term average, and the east was especially dry. Temperatures were generally above normal, particularly during daytime in the southeast.

Summaries are also available for the individual months of March, April and May, as is an archive of previous seasonal summaries for Tasmania, and many other climate summaries and diagnostics.

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Details

Very dry: There were very few significant rain events during autumn which meant that the majority of Tasmania received well below average rainfall for this period. The east of the state and the Derwent Valley in particular missed out, with many locations receiving less than half of their normal autumn total. Some sites had their lowest total autumn rainfall on record, including Lewis Hill which received only 38 mm, its lowest total in 77 years of record. Several other sites had their lowest total autumn rainfall for several decades.

Long term rainfall deficits: The lack of rainfall during autumn continues a series of below average rainfalls over recent years. Spring 2005 was the last time most areas of Tasmania received falls significantly above normal, with most seasons since then being drier than normal. The Seasonal Climate Outlook for the next three months does not indicate that winter in Tasmania is likely to be wetter than usual.

Strong winds and locally heavy rain: The weather during autumn was generally settled, with major disruptions on only two occasions. A very deep low pressure system passed close to Tasmania in early April and generated destructive winds across the state. Gusts well over 100 km/h were recorded at several locations and caused extensive damage, particularly in the south. Late in May, a trough triggered intense rainfall in northern parts of the state, especially in the northwest where widespread flash flooding and water damage was sustained between Wynyard and Burnie. More information can be found in the relevant monthly summaries. 

Warm days: Average daytime temperatures during autumn were up to one and a half degrees above average in southeastern Tasmania and about half a degree above average over the remainder of the state. Hobart and Tarraleah had their highest mean daily maximum temperature for autumn. March was particularly warm, with several locations (including Hobart, Launceston and Burnie) registering their highest autumn daily temperature. Campania (a relatively new site) reached 38.0°C on the 14th of March, setting a new record for the highest autumn temperature in Tasmania. The first three weeks of May were also notable as daytime temperatures were generally above average during this extended period.

Some cold nights: Overall, night time temperatures for autumn were within half a degree of average, with a slight tendency towards warmer than normal nights in the north and cooler than normal nights in the south. There were some particularly cold mornings in May, with a few locations setting a new autumn daily minimum temperature record. The lowest temperature of the season was minus 8.3°C at Lake Leake on the morning of the 22nd of May.

Further information

Melanie Webb
Meteorologist
Tasmania and Antarctica Climate Services Centre
Bureau of Meteorology
Phone (03) 6221 2043
Email climate.tas@bom.gov.au

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Extremes

Hottest day Highest temperature	38.0°C at Campania on 14 Mar
Warmest days on average Highest mean daily maximum temperature	19.7°C at Campania
Coolest days on average Lowest mean daily maximum temperature	9.2°C at Mount Read
Coldest day Lowest daily maximum temperature	−0.4°C at Mount Wellington on 21 May
Coldest night Lowest temperature	−8.3°C at Lake Leake on 22 May
Coolest nights on average Lowest mean daily minimum temperature	1.9°C at Liawenee
Warmest nights on average Highest mean daily minimum temperature	12.8°C at Hogan Island
Warmest night Highest daily minimum temperature	20.1°C at Hogan Island on 18 Mar
Wettest overall Highest total rainfall	838.2 mm at Mount Read
Driest overall Lowest total rainfall	37.6 mm at Lewis Hill
Wettest day Highest daily rainfall	75.8 mm at Elliott Research Station on 27 May
Highest wind gust	169 km/h at Maatsuyker Island Lighthouse on 2 Apr

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Records

Record lowest total autumn rainfall
	Total rainfall for autumn 2008 (mm)	Previous lowest for autumn		Years of record	Normal for autumn
Lewis Hill (St Pauls River)	37.6	41.1	in 1972	77	155.1
Orford (Aubin Court)	49.0	55.8	in 1967	56	161.1
Geeveston (Cemetery Road)	100.6	119.4	in 1998	34	191.2

Lowest total autumn rainfall for at least 20 years
	Total rainfall for autumn 2008 (mm)	Most recent lower for autumn		Years since lower	Normal for autumn
Woodbridge	97.6	92.7	in 1945	39	209.8
Taroona (Taroona Crescent)	69.2	60.8	in 1967	36	143.1
St Marys (Clive Street)	77.6	41.5	in 1972	35	262.0
Fort Direction	55.2	39.3	in 1967	34	126.9
Nugent (Twilight Valley)	104.6	102.4	in 1987	21	183.8
Cape Bruny Lighthouse	142.8	104.6	in 1988	20	232.2

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Record highest autumn temperature
	Highest temperature in autumn 2008 (°C)		Previous highest for autumn		Years of record	Normal for autumn
Hobart (Ellerslie Road)	37.3	on 14 Mar	= 37.3	on 13 Mar 1940	122	17.3
Maatsuyker Island Lighthouse	32.4	on 17 Mar	31.0	on 12 Apr 1985	52	14.5
Swansea Post Office	36.8	on 16 Mar	36.2	on 12 Mar 1998	52	18.5
Hobart Airport	37.0	on 14 Mar	36.5	on 12 Mar 1998	50	18.0
Burnie (Round Hill)	28.9	on 10 Mar	28.1	on 11 Mar 1992	44	17.6
Bicheno (Council Depot)	35.4	on 14 Mar	= 35.4	on 2 Mar 2000	34	18.6
Launceston (Ti Tree Bend)	32.9	on 17 Mar	32.3	on 12 Mar 1998	27	19.0
Fingal (Legge Street)	35.7	on 16 Mar	34.6	on 7 Mar 1991	23	18.3
Wynyard Airport	28.9	on 10 Mar	27.8	on 23 Mar 2007	23	17.4

Record highest autumn temperature for Tasmania

Campania reached 38.0°C on the 14th of March, the highest autumn temperature ever recorded in Tasmania. The previous highest was 37.8°C at New Norfolk on the 7th March 1966. Campania is a relatively new site, having opened in April 2000, so does not yet have sufficient years of record to appear in the table above. It frequently registers the highest temperature in Tasmania on days of hot northerly winds.

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Record highest autumn mean daily maximum temperature
	Mean daily maximum temperature for autumn 2008 (°C)	Previous highest for autumn		Years of record	Normal for autumn
** Hobart (Ellerslie Road)	18.7	= 18.7	in 1990	113	17.3
Tarraleah Village	15.4	15.3	in 2002	24	14.1

** The mean in Hobart for 1881 was 19.0°C. However, temperatures recorded before 1895 were not measured in the standard "Stevenson screen", so are not directly comparable to observations made since 1895.

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Record lowest autumn temperature
	Lowest temperature in autumn 2008 (°C)		Previous lowest for autumn		Years of record	Normal for autumn
Grove (Comparison)	−5.5	on 22 May	−4.3	on 29 May 1979	49	6.2
Bushy Park (Bushy Park Estates)	−6.0	on 22 May	−4.8	on 9 May 1994	48	6.2
Fingal (Legge Street)	−8.1	on 22 May	−7.6	on 12 May 1994	22	5.4

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Summaries

In this table, key sites have been highlighted to make them easier to find. This table is very wide and may not fit if printed.

Summary statistics for autumn 2008
	Maximum temperatures for autumn (°C)				Minimum temperatures for autumn (°C)				Rainfall for autumn (millimetres)
	Mean for autumn 2008	Diff from normal	Highest for autumn 2008		Mean for autumn 2008	Diff from normal	Lowest for autumn 2008		Total for autumn 2008	Normal for autumn	Rank of autumn 2008	Fraction of autumn normal
Northern (district 91)
Bridport	18.5	+0.2	29.0	14 Mar	10.4	+0.9	0.5	23 May	179.5	157.8	normal	114%
Burnie	18.1	+0.5	28.9	10 Mar	11.1	+1.1	3.2	21 May	193.8	219.2	normal	88%
Cape Grim BAPS	17.0	+0.5	26.1	16 Mar	11.5	0.0	6.2	24 May	156.4	179.9	normal	87%
Cressy Research Station	18.8		34.4	16 Mar	5.8		−6.3	22 May	104.4
Devonport Airport	18.1	+0.5	28.4	6 Mar	9.2	+0.7	0.0	21 May	118.4	181.9	low	65%
Launceston	19.6	+0.6	32.9	17 Mar	8.4	+0.9	−1.8	22 May	103.8	148.1	low	70%
Launceston Airport	18.9		34.6	17 Mar	7.0		−3.7	22 May	102.4
Launceston Airport Comparison	18.0	+0.6	33.2	17 Mar	7.3	+0.6	−3.7	22 May	113.2	152.4	low	74%
Low Head	17.7	+0.1	24.8	4 Mar	11.5	+0.5	4.1	22 May	149.0	143.7	normal	104%
Luncheon Hill	16.1	+0.4	32.4	17 Mar	8.1	0.0	1.4	27 Mar	292.6	339.7	normal	86%
Marrawah	17.3	+0.3	29.5	16 Mar	10.4	+0.1	4.8	28 Apr	222.8	252.2	normal	88%
Powranna	18.8	+0.8	35.5	17 Mar	6.9	+0.8	−4.5	22 May
Scottsdale	18.1	0.0	31.4	16 Mar	8.2	+0.4	0.4	21 May	163.4	231.9	low	70%
Sheffield School Farm	16.6	0.0	30.5	17 Mar	7.4	+0.2	−1.0	22 May
Smithton Aerodrome	18.5	+0.7	30.1	14 Mar	8.1	+0.5	−0.5	28 Apr	164.2	173.4	low	95%
Wynyard Airport	18.4	+0.9	28.9	10 Mar	8.0	+0.9	−1.3	22 May	177.8	216.3	normal	82%
East Coast (district 92)
Bicheno	18.9	+0.3	35.4	14 Mar	10.4	+0.2	2.0	22 May	104.0	172.9	low	60%
Eddystone Point	19.0	+1.0	30.7	14 Mar	11.6	+0.1	4.5	21 May	95.2	189.5	very low	50%
Fingal	18.7	+0.4	35.7	16 Mar	5.2	−0.2	−8.1	22 May	61.6	146.1	very low	42%
Friendly Beaches	19.0	+0.3	35.0	14 Mar	9.9	+0.1	−1.1	22 May	86.6	153.9	low	56%
Lake Leake	15.2	+1.0	32.6	17 Mar	3.5	−0.6	−8.3	22 May	74.8	205.9	very low	36%
Maria Island	17.9		29.6	14 Mar	11.0		4.7	22 May	45.6
Orford	18.6	+0.4	34.9	14 Mar	8.3	0.0	0.3	21 May	49.0	161.1	lowest	30%
Scamander	18.8	+0.2	33.0	14 Mar	9.7	0.0	0.8	22 May	93.0	186.6	very low	50%
St Helens Aerodrome	18.7		34.4	16 Mar	9.4		0.0	22 May	95.6
Swan Island	18.2		29.7	14 Mar	12.6		5.3	21 May	96.4
Swansea Post Office	19.3	+0.8	36.8	16 Mar	8.1	−0.2	−0.1	22 May	48.1	148.7	very low	32%
Midlands (district 93)
Ross	18.8	+1.1	35.3	17 Mar	5.7	+0.2	−6.9	22 May	72.0	94.2	normal	76%
Southeast (district 94)
Campania	19.7		38.0	14 Mar	7.1		−2.3	22 May	46.0
Cape Bruny	16.8	+0.4	34.6	14 Mar	9.8	−0.2	3.9	22 May	110.2	159.7	very low	69%
Cape Bruny Lighthouse	16.3	+0.8	34.0	14 Mar	9.9	+0.2	4.0	22 May	142.8	232.2	very low	61%
Dover	17.2	+0.4	36.0	14 Mar	6.5	−0.9	−1.1	22 May	105.0	202.7	very low	52%
Geeveston	17.7	+0.4	35.4	14 Mar	6.1	−0.3	−3.2	22 May	100.6	191.2	lowest	53%
Grove	18.7	+1.2	37.1	14 Mar	5.3	−0.8	−5.5	22 May	68.2	167.6	very low	41%
Grove	18.7		37.2	14 Mar	4.8		−6.0	22 May	71.2
Hobart	18.7	+1.4	37.3	14 Mar	9.2	+0.2	0.7	22 May	56.4	142.7	very low	40%
Hobart Airport	18.7	+0.8	37.0	14 Mar	8.3	−0.4	1.0	22 May	60.4	113.7	very low	53%
Maatsuyker Island Lighthouse	14.9	+0.4	32.4	17 Mar	10.0	+0.5	4.9	21 May	203.8	309.3	low	66%
Melton Mowbray	18.4	+1.1	37.2	17 Mar	6.1	+0.2	−5.0	22 May	49.4	85.6	very low	58%
Mount Wellington	9.4	+1.0	26.1	16 Mar	2.3	+0.1	−4.6	21 May
Tasman Island	15.2		32.8	14 Mar	9.6		3.4	21 May	147.2
Tunnack Fire Station	16.4	+1.0	35.2	16 Mar	5.3	0.0	−5.9	22 May	57.2	131.7	very low	43%
Derwent Valley (district 95)
Bushy Park	19.4	+1.4	36.8	14 Mar	5.0	−1.2	−6.0	22 May
Maydena Post Office	16.6	+0.5	35.2	17 Mar	5.6	+0.2	−3.0	22 May	141.1	250.5	very low	56%
Moogara	15.4	+1.4	32.5	14 Mar	5.8	+0.3	0.5	28 Apr	86.6	166.9	very low	52%
Ouse Fire Station	19.0	+0.6	36.1	16 Mar	4.9	−0.5	−6.3	22 May	59.2
Tarraleah Village	15.4	+1.3	32.3	17 Mar	4.5	+0.6	−3.1	22 May	170.7	268.4	very low	64%
Central Plateau (district 96)
Lake St Clair National Park	14.0	+0.7	30.2	16 Mar	2.7	−0.1	−6.0	22 May	300.0	413.3	very low	73%
Liawenee	12.6		28.6	16 Mar	1.9		−6.5	22 May	179.2
West Coast (district 97)
Hartz Mountain	12.1	+0.7	29.5	17 Mar	4.6	−0.1	−1.5	21 May	131.2	203.8	low	64%
Mount Read	9.2	+0.2	25.5	17 Mar	3.6	+0.2	−3.0	21 May	838.2	922.3	low	91%
Scotts Peak Dam	15.4	+0.7	34.5	17 Mar	6.7	−0.1	1.2	22 May	288.6
Strahan Aerodrome	17.2	+0.5	34.3	17 Mar	8.3	−0.1	1.5	21 May	396.4	351.8	high	113%
Strathgordon Village	14.7	+0.4	31.2	14 Mar	6.7	−0.2	1.1	22 May	442.3	589.8	low	75%
Warra	14.3		32.1	16 Mar	5.9		−1.0	22 May	235.0
King Island (district 98)
King Island Airport	18.6	+1.0	36.4	17 Mar	10.4	−0.1	3.5	12 Mar	192.4	190.2	normal	101%
Flinders Island (district 99)
Flinders Island Airport	19.4	+0.7	35.4	14 Mar	10.5	−0.3	−1.1	22 May	96.8	189.3	very low	51%
Hogan Island	18.3		35.3	14 Mar	12.8		7.7	28 Apr	117.8
Macquarie Island (district 300)
Macquarie Island	7.2	+0.3	9.7	3 Apr	4.2	+0.6	−0.7	1 May	290.0	276.5	normal	105%

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Notes

Further information

Melanie Webb
Meteorologist
Tasmania and Antarctica Climate Services Centre
Bureau of Meteorology
Phone (03) 6221 2043
Email climate.tas@bom.gov.au

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