Wednesday, 1 September 2010 - Seasonal Climate Summary for Tasmania - Product code IDCKGC17R0
Tasmania in winter 2010: Mild days, cold nights and some heavy rain
Heavy rain fell on a number of days during winter, but overall rainfall was near average over most of the state. Nights were frequently very cold, especially in the southern Midlands and Derwent Valley. Daytime temperature were mostly warmer than usual.
- Wettest winter day on record for some sites
- Several cold nights through the season
- Cold days and snow in August, but mostly mild days
- Still a very dry year so far in the southeast
Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top
Rainfall mostly near average
Winter rainfall was near average over most of the state, though it was drier than usual at some sites in the southeast and wetter than usual in parts of the northeast. Cold fronts brought most of the wet weather, especially in June and August, but the heaviest falls came with a deep low pressure system that passed near Flinders Island on 11 August. On this day eastern and central areas received 50 to 100 mm, and falls of over 100 mm were not uncommon. Mount Wellington had 199.0 mm in 24 hours, and was one of several sites that had their wettest winter day on record.
For the whole of winter, Tunbridge was the driest with a total of 73 mm, having missed out on most of the heavy rain in August. Mount Read, as usual, was the wettest site with 1120 mm.
Mostly warmer than usual days
Daytime temperatures were much milder than usual for winter, averaging around half a degree warmer than usual in most areas and up to one and half degrees warmer than usual in the southeast. A number of sites had their warmest winter days on average in around five years. Mild days were common throughout the season, while very cold days were rare and mostly confined to August. This was unusual — August is usually the warmest month of winter, but in 2010 almost all of the snow events occurred during August. As often occurs in winter, there were a few days in the Derwent Valley and Midlands when fog persisted all day, keeping temperatures down. This happened on the 2nd of July, when Ross struggled to reach 4.0 °C, its coldest day in over 15 years, and Launceston reached only 7.8 °C, its coldest day since July 2007.
Temperatures over 18 °C were recorded in all winter months, but the warmest day was 18.4 °C at Bicheno on 12 July and again at Hobart on 15 August. Bicheno also had the warmest days on average, with 15.1 °C.
Many cold nights
While winter days were generally warmer than usual, nights were more often than not cooler than usual except in the west. Average overnight temperatures were near average in the west but below average elsewhere, by as much as one to two degrees in the southern Midlands and Derwent Valley. Ross was one such cold location, with its temperature falling to at least -3 °C on 20 nights; in a typical winter this occurs just 10 times. Ross even dipped to -6.3 °C on 27 June, not much warmer than the lowest winter temperature of -7.9 °C at Liawenee on July 25th. Liawenee had the coolest nights on average (-1.4 °C).
The warmest nights were those that were windy, cloudy and raining. This was the case on June 25th, when Eddystone Point had the warmest winter night (13.3 °C). The warmest nights on average were 9.1 °C at Hogan Island.The year so far
Despite a cool August, many sites in Tasmania have still had their warmest January to August on record, including Hobart and Launceston. Overnight temperatures are just slightly above average in most areas, but daytime temperatures are half to one degree warmer than usual in most areas, and even more in the southeast.
Rainfall for the year to date is near normal in the north of the state, but remains below average in the south. Even with the heavy rain in the east during August, it has still been one of the driest first 8 months of the year on record for southeastern Tasmania.
Relatively warm and dry on Macquarie Island
Macquarie Island — 1500 km southeast of Hobart but technically part of Tasmania — had its warmest winter since 1989, with a mean temperature of 3.9 °C, an average maximum temperature of 5.6 °C and an average minimum temperature of 2.3 °C, all around half a degree warmer than usual. It was also the driest winter since 1983, with just 179 mm compared to the long term average of 221 mm.
Further information
- Media
- media@bom.gov.au (03) 9669 4057
- Enquiries
- helpdesk.climate@bom.gov.au
| Extremes in winter 2010 | |
|---|---|
| Hottest day |
18.4 °C at Bicheno (Council Depot) on 12 Jul and at Hobart (Ellerslie Road) on 15 Aug |
| Warmest days on average | 15.1 °C at Bicheno (Council Depot) |
| Coolest days on average | 3.2 °C at Mount Wellington |
| Coldest day |
-2.0 °C at Mount Wellington on 16 Aug |
| Coldest night |
-7.9 °C at Liawenee on 25 Jul |
| Coolest nights on average | -1.4 °C at Liawenee |
| Warmest nights on average | 9.1 °C at Hogan Island |
| Warmest night |
13.3 °C at Eddystone Point on 25 Jun |
| Warmest on average overall | 11.2 °C at Hogan Island |
| Coolest on average overall | 1.1 °C at Mount Wellington |
| Wettest overall | 1120.2 mm at Mount Read |
| Driest overall | 72.6 mm at Tunbridge (Austin-Vale) |
| Wettest day |
199.0 mm at Mount Wellington on 12 Aug |
| Highest wind gust |
144 km/h at Swan Island on 18 Jun |
Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top
| Maps | |||
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| Observed | Anomaly | Decile rank | |
| Total rainfall |
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| Mean daily maximum temperatures |
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| Mean daily minimum temperatures |
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Click on a map to show it full size in a pop-up window
| Record highest winter daily rainfall | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Highest daily rainfall in winter 2010 (mm) |
Previous wettest for winter |
Years of record |
||||
| Bothwell (Cluny) | 72.2 | on 12 Aug | 58.4 | on 5 Jun 1923 | 96 | |
| Waddamana Field Study Centre | 62.8 | on 12 Aug | 53.3 | on 17 Aug 1970 | 85 | |
| Tarraleah Village | 72.0 | on 12 Aug | 63.5 | on 5 Aug 1947 | 74 | |
| Pyengana (Forest Lodge Road) | 135.6 | on 11 Aug | 110.7 | on 20 Aug 1967 | 49 | |
| Risdon Vale (Poplar Road) | 84.6 | on 12 Aug | 62.0 | on 11 Jul 1967 | 31 | |
| Mount Wellington | 199.0 | on 12 Aug | 114.2 | on 26 Jun 2009 | 30 | |
| Tea Tree (The Point) | 59.2 | on 12 Aug | 51.4 | on 3 Jul 1990 | 25 | |
| Richmond (Strathayr) | 46.4 | on 12 Aug | 41.0 | on 3 Jul 1990 | 23 | |
Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top
| Summary statistics for winter 2010 | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maximum temperatures for winter (°C) |
Minimum temperatures for winter (°C) |
Rainfall for winter (millimetres) |
||||||||||
| Mean for winter 2010 |
Diff from average |
Highest for winter 2010 |
Mean for winter 2010 |
Diff from average |
Lowest for winter 2010 |
Total for winter 2010 |
Average for winter |
Rank of winter 2010 |
Fraction of winter average |
|||
| Northern (district 91) | ||||||||||||
| Bridport (Sea View Villas) | 13.7 | 0.0 | 16.4 | 2 Aug | 5.7 | -0.1 | 0.5 | 27 Jun | 311.9 | 251.7 | high | 124% |
| Burnie (Round Hill) | 13.6 | +0.5 | 17.4 | 2 Aug | 6.7 | +0.5 | 1.9 | 26 Aug | 295.4 | 338.5 | average | 87% |
| Cape Grim BAPS | 13.0 | +0.3 | 16.0 | 4 Jun | 8.3 | -0.1 | 4.0 | 7 Aug | 279.4 | 278.6 | average | 100% |
| Cressy Research Station | 12.2 | -0.2 | 15.8 | 22 Jul | 1.3 | -0.6 | -4.6 | 13 Jun | 190.8 | 196.3 | average | 97% |
| Devonport Airport | 13.4 | +0.4 | 16.8 | 12 Aug | 4.5 | -0.4 | -0.8 | 13 Jun | 250.9 | 265.4 | average | 95% |
| Launceston (Ti Tree Bend) | 13.4 | +0.3 | 16.8 | 12 Aug | 2.9 | 0.0 | -2.4 | 13 Jun | 284.9 | 231.0 | high | 123% |
| Launceston Airport | 12.1 | 16.3 | 22 Jul | 2.1 | -3.7 | 27 Jun | 218.4 | |||||
| Low Head | 13.2 | +0.1 | 17.0 | 12 Aug | 6.8 | -0.4 | 2.4 | 27 Jun | 288.2 | 227.7 | high | 127% |
| Luncheon Hill (Forestry) | 11.0 | 0.0 | 14.9 | 1 Jun | 5.1 | -0.1 | 1.6 | 19 Jul | 544.0 | 543.5 | average | 100% |
| Marrawah | 12.8 | +0.2 | 15.6 | 3 Jun | 7.3 | +0.3 | 2.5 | 7 Aug | 385.0 | 393.1 | average | 98% |
| Scottsdale (West Minstone Road) | 12.2 | -0.2 | 15.3 | 22 Jul | 3.7 | -0.2 | -1.3 | 17 Aug | 387.4 | 345.7 | high | 112% |
| Sheffield School Farm | 11.3 | -0.1 | 15.1 | 22 Jul | 3.3 | -0.4 | -2.1 | 27 Jun | 393.4 | 369.9 | average | 106% |
| Smithton Aerodrome | 13.5 | 0.0 | 16.5 | 1 Jun | 4.1 | -0.9 | -2.2 | 7 Aug | 275.4 | 323.1 | average | 85% |
| Wynyard Airport | 13.5 | +0.5 | 16.5 | 22 Jul | 3.5 | -0.4 | -1.8 | 27 Jun | 333.4 | 355.1 | average | 94% |
| East Coast (district 92) | ||||||||||||
| Bicheno (Council Depot) | 15.1 | +0.7 | 18.4 | 12 Jul | 6.5 | +0.2 | 2.0 | 8 Aug | 160.4 | 164.7 | average | 97% |
| Eddystone Point | 14.6 | +1.1 | 18.0 | 4 Jun | 7.3 | -0.1 | 1.7 | 28 Aug | 208.4 | 223.8 | average | 93% |
| Fingal (Legge Street) | 12.7 | 0.0 | 16.4 | 22 Jul | 0.6 | -0.3 | -4.9 | 13 Jun | 189.0 | 179.6 | average | 105% |
| Friendly Beaches | 14.3 | +0.1 | 17.6 | 15 Aug | 5.6 | -0.5 | 1.2 | 9 Jul | 165.6 | 147.5 | average | 112% |
| Lake Leake (Elizabeth River) | 9.0 | 0.0 | 12.8 | 22 Jul | -0.2 | -0.7 | -5.8 | 27 Jun | 240.8 | 242.6 | average | 99% |
| Maria Island (Point Lesueur) | 13.4 | 16.7 | 12 Jul | 7.5 | 4.2 | 10 Jun | 120.0 | |||||
| Orford (Aubin Court) | 13.4 | -0.1 | 17.2 | 25 Jun | 3.6 | -0.4 | -1.0 | 23 Jun | 141.5 | 172.7 | average | 82% |
| Scamander | 14.6 | +0.3 | 17.8 | 26 Jul | 5.0 | -0.1 | 1.1 | 17 Aug | 229.5 | 172.0 | high | 133% |
| St Helens Aerodrome | 14.0 | 17.1 | 30 Aug | 4.7 | -0.3 | 17 Aug | 215.8 | 170.6 | high | 126% | ||
| Swan Island | 13.7 | 16.9 | 24 Jun | 8.4 | 2.8 | 27 Jun | 178.8 | |||||
| Swansea Post Office* | 14.2 | +0.4 | 18.3 | 2 Jun | 2.5 | -1.6 | -2.5 | 3 Jul | 142.6 | 149.2 | average | 96% |
| Midlands (district 93) | ||||||||||||
| Ross (The Boulevards) | 12.0 | +0.2 | 15.9 | 22 Jul | 0.7 | -1.2 | -6.3 | 27 Jun | 119.6 | 127.8 | average | 94% |
| Southeast (district 94) | ||||||||||||
| Bull Bay (Lauriston) | 13.2 | +0.4 | 18.0 | 12 Jul | 6.0 | 0.0 | 1.8 | 17 Aug | 112.2 | 159.7 | low | 70% |
| Campania (Kincora) | 14.3 | +0.7 | 17.8 | 2 Jun | 2.4 | -1.4 | -2.7 | 15 Jun | 90.2 | 127.1 | low | 71% |
| Cape Bruny (Cape Bruny) | 12.6 | +0.2 | 16.3 | 15 Aug | 6.7 | -0.1 | 2.7 | 7 Aug | 186.0 | 240.5 | low | 77% |
| Cape Bruny Lighthouse | 12.3 | +0.7 | 15.8 | 25 Jun | 6.8 | +0.4 | 2.0 | 27 Aug | 236.0 | 278.8 | average | 85% |
| Dover | 13.1 | +0.5 | 16.6 | 3 Jun | 2.8 | -1.0 | -1.1 | 7 Aug | 192.0 | 254.3 | low | 76% |
| Geeveston (Cemetery Road) | 12.8 | +0.4 | 15.7 | 9 Aug | 1.8 | -0.6 | -2.8 | 16 Jun | 226.6 | 265.8 | average | 85% |
| Grove (Research Station) | 13.4 | 17.4 | 15 Aug | 0.9 | -4.1 | 27 Jun | 173.4 | |||||
| Hobart (Ellerslie Road) | 13.7 | +1.5 | 18.4 | 15 Aug | 5.1 | +0.1 | 1.2 | 27 Jun | 124.2 | 159.8 | average | 78% |
| Hobart Airport | 14.1 | +1.2 | 18.0 | 19 Aug | 4.2 | -0.2 | -0.8 | 10 Jul | 74.2 | 121.8 | low | 61% |
| Maatsuyker Island Lighthouse | 11.3 | +0.1 | 15.5 | 24 Jun | 7.5 | +0.7 | 3.4 | 17 Aug | 314.2 | 370.7 | average | 85% |
| Melton Mowbray (North Stockman) | 12.5 | +0.6 | 16.6 | 15 Aug | 0.8 | -1.5 | -6.0 | 27 Jun | 88.2 | 114.4 | average | 77% |
| Mount Wellington | 3.2 | +0.4 | 9.0 | 3 Aug | -1.0 | +0.4 | -5.5 | 7 Aug | 322.0 | 217.4 | high | 148% |
| Tasman Island | 11.3 | 15.3 | 12 Jul | 6.9 | 1.8 | 17 Aug | 192.0 | |||||
| Tunnack Fire Station | 10.2 | +0.2 | 14.5 | 2 Jun | 0.7 | -1.4 | -6.1 | 7 Aug | ||||
| Derwent Valley (district 95) | ||||||||||||
| Bushy Park (Bushy Park Estates) | 13.2 | +1.4 | 17.6 | 2 Jun | 0.6 | -1.4 | -3.9 | 8 Aug | 102.4 | 151.1 | low | 68% |
| Maydena Post Office | 11.1 | 0.0 | 15.0 | 17 Jul | 2.2 | -0.2 | -2.0 | 2 Aug | 253.6 | 357.3 | low | 71% |
| Ouse Fire Station | 12.7 | +0.3 | 16.8 | 22 Jul | 0.2 | -1.4 | -4.4 | 9 Jul | 92.0 | 162.0 | v low | 57% |
| Tarraleah Village | 9.0 | +0.2 | 12.5 | 31 Jul | 1.1 | +0.5 | -5.0 | 7 Aug | 321.7 | 343.4 | average | 94% |
| Central Plateau (district 96) | ||||||||||||
| Butlers Gorge | 8.2 | +0.7 | 12.2 | 13 Aug | 0.0 | +0.1 | -6.2 | 2 Jul | 460.0 | 510.0 | average | 90% |
| Lake St Clair National Park | 7.7 | 0.0 | 11.4 | 30 Jul | 0.1 | 0.0 | -4.7 | 2 Jul | 506.6 | 619.5 | low | 82% |
| Liawenee | 6.2 | 12.0 | 3 Aug | -1.4 | -7.9 | 25 Jul | 329.2 | |||||
| West Coast (district 97) | ||||||||||||
| Hartz Mountain (Keoghs Pimple) | 6.3 | -0.2 | 11.9 | 9 Aug | 1.7 | 0.0 | -2.4 | 17 Aug | 266.2 | |||
| Mount Read | 3.7 | -0.4 | 7.3 | 22 Jun | 0.3 | -0.1 | -3.5 | 17 Aug | 1120.2 | |||
| Scotts Peak Dam | 10.0 | +0.4 | 15.1 | 9 Aug | 3.6 | +0.1 | -1.5 | 7 Aug | 567.6 | |||
| Strahan Aerodrome | 12.8 | +0.2 | 16.5 | 9 Aug | 5.5 | +0.1 | -0.2 | 7 Aug | 584.6 | 474.3 | average | 123% |
| Strathgordon Village | 9.7 | +0.2 | 13.7 | 13 Jul | 3.6 | +0.2 | -0.5 | 7 Aug | 679.4 | 776.5 | average | 87% |
| Warra | 9.2 | 12.1 | 30 Aug | 2.7 | -3.3 | 7 Aug | 410.8 | |||||
| King Island (district 98) | ||||||||||||
| King Island Airport | 13.7 | +0.2 | 16.2 | 4 Jun | 7.4 | -0.3 | 2.5 | 8 Jul | 382.6 | 328.8 | high | 116% |
| Flinders Island (district 99) | ||||||||||||
| Flinders Island Airport | 13.9 | +0.2 | 17.0 | 3 Jun | 6.0 | -0.6 | -1.7 | 27 Jun | 159.5 | 231.0 | low | 69% |
| Hogan Island | 13.2 | 16.8 | 1 Jun | 9.1 | 2.6 | 20 Aug | 248.8 | |||||
| Antarctica and Macquarie Island (district 300) | ||||||||||||
| Macquarie Island | 5.6 | +0.6 | 8.3 | 14 Jul | 2.3 | +0.7 | -3.4 | 12 Jun | 178.6 | 221.5 | low | 81% |
Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top
Notes
A Seasonal Climate Summary is prepared to list the main features of the weather in Tasmania using the most timely and accurate information available on the date of publication; it will generally not be updated. Later information, including data that has had greater opportunity for quality control, will be presented in the Monthly Weather Review, usually published in the fourth week of the month.
This statement has been prepared based on information available at 9 am on Wednesday 1 September 2010. Some checks have been made on the data, but it is possible that results will change as new information becomes available.
Averages 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.
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
