Friday, 1 June 2012 - Seasonal Climate Summary for Tasmania - Product code IDCKGC27R0
Tasmania in autumn 2012: warm with heavy rain
Autumn rainfall was above average in most areas, but especially in the northwest and parts of the south following heavy rain in March, April and May. Autumn temperatures were warmer than average across Tasmania, by up to one degree in most areas.
- Record heavy rain in the east and northwest
- Wettest autumn on record for Cape Grim
- Warm autumn days and nights
- Warmest autumn night on record for Launceston, Dover and Maydena
Monthly summaries have been prepared for March, April and May.
Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top
Wet, especially in the south and northwest
Autumn rainfall was above average across most of Tasmania, except on Flinders Island. In parts of the south and northwest rainfall was well above average following heavy rainfall events in March, April and May. Cape Grim recorded its wettest autumn on record whilst several other sites, mainly in the northwest and on King Island, recorded their wettest autumn for at least 20 years.
The most notable of these heavy rainfall events was on 25 May when a low pressure system moved down along the east cost of Tasmania, delivering around 50 to 100 mm of rain to eastern parts of the state. In the 24 hours to 9 am on the 26th, Nugent (103 mm), Launceston (47 mm) and Campbell Town (64 mm) all recorded their wettest autumn day on record. Rainfall rates were intense in the northeast with this event: St Helens Aerodrome recorded 67 mm in one hour, causing flash flooding. Rainfall of this intensity is only expected to occur less than once in 100 years in St Helens.
Earlier in May, a low pressure system lingering over Tasmania produced heavy rain in the northwest and southeast, notably on the 3rd. In the 24 hours to 9 am on the 4th, Naracoopa (89 mm) and City of Melbourne Bay (98 mm) on King Island recorded their wettest autumn day on record.
Thunderstorms in the far south early on 24 April brought exceptionally heavy rain to Maatsuyker Island with 67 mm falling in just 90 minutes at the lighthouse. The overall daily total of 111 mm at Maatsuyker Island Garden was the highest daily rainfall total in Tasmania this autumn.
Mount Read was the wettest location with at least 1092 mm (though it is likely that snow was lost on some days through autumn, so this total should be higher). Lake Margaret Power Station was the next wettest site with 789 mm, whilst Avoca in the northeast was the driest with 114 mm for autumn.
Warm autumn days
Autumn days were up to 1 °C warmer than average across most areas of Tasmania, but just below average in parts of the Derwent Valley, Central Plateau and West Coast districts. This is in contrast to last autumn when maximum temperatures were below average statewide.
The warmest periods of autumn were the first week of April, when several sites across the state observed their warmest start to the month on record; and 13 to 21 March. Most sites recorded their warmest day of the season on either the 14 or 19 March if not within the first week of April. Strahan Aerodrome recorded the warmest day of autumn with 30.3 °C on 14 March.
There were a few cold periods – the coldest of which were around 23 March, 9 April and 12 May when snow fell down to at least 700 m. 23 March was a very cold day for so early in the season: temperatures generally remained below 15 °C and several sites recorded their coldest March day on record. Mt Read's maximum temperature of 0 °C was Tasmania's second lowest March maximum temperature on record. The coldest day of the season was on 12 May, when the temperature only reached -1.8 °C at Mount Wellington.
Warm autumn nights, record warm for some
There were many warmer than average nights in March, April and May, and few very cold nights. Overall autumn average minimum temperatures were warmer than normal as a result, by up to two degrees in the Derwent Valley, Central Plateau and Southeast districts, and up to one degree elsewhere. Strathgordon Village, Tarraleah Village and Geeveston all had their highest autumn mean daily minimum temperature on record.
The warmest periods were around 15, 16 and 21 March, and 20 April when warm northerly winds and cloudy conditions prevented much cooling. The night of 21 March was especially warm with Launceston (19.0 °C), Dover (17.8 °C) and Maydena (16.4 °C) all recording their warmest autumn night (highest daily minimum temperature) on record. Almost a week beforehand, Flinders Island observed the warmest night of the season when the temperature only fell to 19.7 °C on 15 March.
The coldest autumn nights were around 10 April, at the end of April and during May under clear skies and in the cold air behind cold fronts. The lowest temperature recorded for the season was -4.3 °C at Ross on 30 April following the passage of a vigorous cold front on the 28th. It is more common for the coldest autumn nights to occur in May in the lead-up to winter, but this year there were few very cold nights in May; the coldest was -4.0 °C at Fingal on the 29th. Last autumn the temperature dropped below -5 °C on several occasions, most of those at Liawenee in May.
A warm autumn for Hobart, with a wet finish
There was a distinct lack of cold nights in Hobart this autumn. In an average autumn the temperature falls to 5 °C or below on 11 days, 8 of which are in May. This year the lowest temperature was 4.0 °C on 30 April, and this was the only morning the temperature fell to 5 °C or below. Most nights were on the warm side of average, with the highest minimum of 18.3 °C on 21 March.
Autumn days were warmer than average too, but significantly warm in April when Hobart recorded its equal highest April mean maximum temperature on record. The first 6 days of April were very warm with an average maximum temperature of 24.5 °C, six degrees above the April average. There were a few cold autumn days, with most of those in May. A typical Hobart autumn has 8 days with a maximum of 12 °C or less, whilst this autumn there were only 4, the coldest of which was 10.7 °C on 12 May.
Both maximum and minimum temperatures were just over a degree above average overall – warmer than autumn last year, but cooler than the autumn of 2010 which was the warmest on record for Hobart.
Hobart received 145 mm of rainfall this autumn, which is just above the long-term average of 143 mm. 92 mm of this rain fell in May, which is double the long-term May average, and Hobart's wettest May since 1986. The wet conditions in May followed below average rainfall in March, and well below average rainfall in April.
Further information
- Media
- media@bom.gov.au (03) 9669 4057
- Enquiries
- helpdesk.climate@bom.gov.au
| Extremes in autumn 2012 | |
|---|---|
| Hottest day | 30.3 °C at Strahan Aerodrome on 14 Mar |
| Warmest days on average | 19.2 °C at Campania (Kincora), Eddystone Point and Launceston (Ti Tree Bend) |
| Coolest days on average | 8.5 °C at Mount Wellington |
| Coldest day | -1.8 °C at Mount Wellington on 12 May |
| Coldest night | -4.3 °C at Ross (The Boulevards) on 30 Apr |
| Coolest nights on average | 2.5 °C at Mount Wellington |
| Warmest nights on average | 12.7 °C at Swan Island |
| Warmest night | 19.7 °C at Flinders Island Airport on 15 Mar |
| Warmest on average overall | 15.5 °C at Swan Island |
| Coolest on average overall | 5.5 °C at Mount Wellington |
| Wettest overall | 1091.6 mm at Mount Read* |
| Driest overall | 114.2 mm at Avoca (Railway House) |
| Wettest day | 110.8 mm at Maatsuyker Island Garden on 24 Apr |
| Highest wind gust | 150 km/h at Hogan Island on 7 Apr |
* It is likely some snow was blown away at Mount Read, hence the autumn rainfall total should be higher.
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 autumn daily rainfall | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Highest daily rainfall in autumn 2012 (mm) |
Previous wettest for autumn |
Years of record |
||||
| Naracoopa | 88.8 | on 4 May | 82.3 | on 5 Apr 1929 | 94 | |
| City of Melbourne Bay | 97.6 | on 4 May | 66.8 | on 22 Mar 1978 | 77 | |
| Launceston (Ti Tree Bend) | 47.2 | on 26 May | 42.0 | on 7 Apr 1992 | 33 | |
| Nugent (Twilight Valley) | 102.8 | on 26 May | 80.6 | on 13 Apr 2011 | 29 | |
| Campbell Town (Elizabeth R) | 63.6 | on 26 May | 43.7 | on 3 May 1973 | 26 | |
| Record highest total autumn rainfall | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Total rainfall for autumn 2012 (mm) |
Previous wettest for autumn |
Years of record |
Average for autumn |
||
| Cape Grim BAPS (Comparison) | 353.4 | 287.0 | in 1987 | 25 | 191.0 |
| Highest total autumn rainfall for at least 20 years | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Total rainfall for autumn 2012 (mm) |
Most recent autumn at least this wet |
Years since wetter |
Average for autumn |
||
| Naracoopa | 402.4 | 407.8 | in 1952* | 58 | 232.2 |
| City of Melbourne Bay | 397.0 | 426.8 | in 1973 | 39 | 244.5 |
| Marrawah | 384.8 | 476.3 | in 1975 | 37 | 256.4 |
| Maatsuyker Island Lighthouse | 457.8 | 487.8 | in 1982 | 30 | 309.0 |
| York Plains (Handroyd) | 172.2 | 198.2 | in 1986 | 26 | 132.2 |
| Wynyard Airport | 275.4 | 351.5 | in 1965* | 22 | 218.5 |
| Yolla (Sea View) | 407.6 | 552.8 | in 1989* | 21 | 327.0 |
| Barrington Post Office | 313.6 | 395.8 | in 1992 | 20 | 249.9 |
| Burnie (Round Hill) | 290.3 | 324.7 | in 1992 | 20 | 218.4 |
| Forthside Research Station | 267.4 | 346.8 | in 1992 | 20 | 215.3 |
* note: there are gaps in the historical record at this site, so it is possible a higher value has gone unreported.
| Record highest autumn daily minimum temperature | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Highest daily minimum temperature in autumn 2012 (°C) |
Previous warmest for autumn |
Years of record |
Average for autumn |
|||
| Launceston (Ti Tree Bend) | 19.0 | on 21 Mar | 18.5 | on 4 Mar 1992 | 31 | 7.5 |
| Dover | 17.8 | on 21 Mar | 17.2 | on 26 Mar 2010 | 23 | 7.3 |
| Maydena Post Office | 16.4 | on 21 Mar | 16.0 | on 2 Mar 2007 | 20 | 5.5 |
| Record highest autumn mean daily minimum temperature | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Mean daily minimum temperature for autumn 2012 (°C) |
Previous warmest for autumn |
Years of record |
Average for autumn |
||
| Strathgordon Village | 7.8 | 7.7 | in 1980 | 29 | 7.0 |
| Tarraleah Village | 5.7 | 5.0 | in 1989 | 27 | 4.1 |
| Geeveston (Cemetery Road) | 7.8 | 7.7 | in 2007 | 24 | 6.4 |
| Highest autumn mean daily minimum temperature for at least 20 years | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Mean daily minimum temperature for autumn 2012 (°C) |
Most recent autumn at least this warm |
Years since warmer |
Average for autumn |
||
| Bushy Park (Bushy Park Estates) | 6.9 | 7.5 | in 1988 | 24 | 6.2 |
* 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 autumn 2012 | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maximum temperatures for autumn (°C) |
Minimum temperatures for autumn (°C) |
Rainfall for autumn (millimetres) |
||||||||||
| Mean for autumn 2012 |
Diff from average |
Highest for autumn 2012 |
Mean for autumn 2012 |
Diff from average |
Lowest for autumn 2012 |
Total for autumn 2012 |
Average for autumn |
Rank of autumn 2012 |
Fraction of autumn average |
|||
| Northern (district 91) | ||||||||||||
| Bridport (Sea View Villas) | 18.5 | +0.2 | 27.2 | 14 Mar | 9.8 | +0.2 | 1.8 | 13 May | 217.7 | 169.0 | high | 129% |
| Burnie (Round Hill) | 18.6 | +0.9 | 25.2 | 14 Mar | 10.6 | +0.5 | 3.8 | 10 Apr | 290.3 | 218.4 | high | 133% |
| Cape Grim | 16.4 | 22.6 | 20 Mar | 11.8 | 6.4 | 4 May | 339.8 | |||||
| Cape Grim BAPS (Comparison) | 16.8 | +0.3 | 22.7 | 20 Mar | 11.7 | +0.2 | 6.5 | 3 May | 353.4 | 191.0 | highest | 185% |
| Cressy Research Station | 18.5 | -0.1 | 29.0 | 14 Mar | 6.2 | +0.5 | -2.5 | 20 May | ||||
| Devonport Airport | 18.3 | +0.6 | 25.9 | 14 Mar | 8.8 | +0.1 | 1.0 | 29 May | 185.3 | 181.5 | average | 102% |
| Launceston (Ti Tree Bend) | 19.2 | +0.2 | 30.0 | 14 Mar | 7.8 | +0.3 | -0.4 | 20 May | 173.9 | 152.5 | average | 114% |
| Launceston Airport | 18.6 | 29.8 | 14 Mar | 6.7 | -2.4 | 29 May | 190.6 | |||||
| Low Head | 18.0 | +0.4 | 25.4 | 14 Mar | 11.5 | +0.3 | 4.5 | 29 May | 210.2 | 159.1 | high | 132% |
| Luncheon Hill (Forestry) | 15.6 | -0.2 | 26.0 | 14 Mar | 8.5 | +0.3 | 2.6 | 10 Apr | 406.0 | 342.4 | high | 119% |
| Marrawah | 17.0 | +0.1 | 24.5 | 14 Mar | 10.9 | +0.6 | 5.5 | 23 Mar | 384.8 | 256.4 | v high | 150% |
| Scottsdale (West Minstone Road) | 17.7 | -0.3 | 28.0 | 14 Mar | 7.8 | -0.1 | -0.8 | 24 Mar | 245.6 | 232.0 | average | 106% |
| Sheffield School Farm | 16.7 | +0.1 | 25.7 | 14 Mar | 7.0 | -0.2 | 0.0 | 10 Apr | 342.2 | 212.2 | v high | 161% |
| Smithton Aerodrome | 17.8 | 0.0 | 24.4 | 14 Mar | 8.1 | +0.3 | 0.8 | 4 May | 285.0 | 186.5 | v high | 153% |
| Wynyard Airport | 18.1 | +0.6 | 24.5 | 14 Mar | 7.9 | +0.6 | 0.2 | 10 Apr | 275.4 | 218.5 | high | 126% |
| East Coast (district 92) | ||||||||||||
| Bicheno (Council Depot) | 18.8 | +0.2 | 26.8 | 4 Mar | 10.6 | +0.4 | 4.5 | 30 Apr | 201.7 | 174.0 | high | 116% |
| Eddystone Point | 19.2 | +1.1 | 25.9 | 31 Mar | 11.5 | 0.0 | 3.4 | 24 Mar | ||||
| Fingal (Legge Street) | 18.6 | +0.3 | 29.3 | 14 Mar | 5.4 | 0.0 | -4.0 | 29 May | 129.4 | 147.0 | average | 88% |
| Friendly Beaches | 18.9 | +0.2 | 28.4 | 31 Mar | 10.3 | +0.4 | 2.4 | 30 Apr | 321.4 | 173.6 | high | 185% |
| Lake Leake (Elizabeth River) | 14.4 | +0.1 | 22.9 | 5 Apr | 4.8 | +0.7 | -3.0 | 30 Apr | 210.0 | 205.0 | average | 102% |
| Maria Island (Point Lesueur) | 18.1 | 25.1 | 5 Apr | 11.6 | 5.8 | 10 Apr | 221.4 | |||||
| Orford (Aubin Court) | 18.6 | +0.4 | 28.4 | 21 Mar | 8.7 | +0.3 | 1.2 | 29 May | 245.0 | 163.8 | high | 150% |
| Scamander | 18.7 | 0.0 | 26.6 | 4 Apr | 9.5 | -0.2 | 3.0 | 12 May | 250.1 | 191.5 | high | 131% |
| St Helens Aerodrome | 18.7 | +0.3 | 25.4 | 3 Apr | 9.5 | +0.1 | 1.7 | 13 May | 293.4 | 172.1 | high | 170% |
| Swan Island | 18.3 | +0.2 | 24.7 | 20 Mar | 12.7 | +0.1 | 5.2 | 14 May | 149.8 | 155.7 | average | 96% |
| Swansea (Francis Street) | 18.9 | 28.4 | 31 Mar | 8.8 | 1.0 | 30 Apr | 189.6 | |||||
| Midlands (district 93) | ||||||||||||
| Ross (The Boulevards) | 18.0 | +0.2 | 29.5 | 14 Mar | 6.1 | +0.5 | -4.3 | 30 Apr | 167.2 | 101.1 | v high | 165% |
| Southeast (district 94) | ||||||||||||
| Bull Bay (Lauriston) | 17.6 | +0.3 | 25.5 | 31 Mar | 10.3 | +0.7 | 4.3 | 24 Mar | 195.2 | 133.2 | high | 147% |
| Campania (Kincora) | 19.2 | +0.3 | 28.3 | 6 Apr | 8.0 | +0.4 | -0.6 | 30 Apr | 149.0 | 105.8 | high | 141% |
| Cape Bruny (Cape Bruny) | 16.8 | +0.4 | 25.2 | 20 Mar | 10.6 | +0.6 | 3.6 | 24 Mar | 288.6 | 172.2 | v high | 168% |
| Cape Bruny Lighthouse | 16.4 | +0.9 | 24.2 | 20 Mar | 10.8 | +1.1 | 2.9 | 24 Mar | 300.6 | 232.3 | high | 129% |
| Dover | 17.1 | +0.3 | 25.6 | 20 Mar | 8.1 | +0.8 | 1.0 | 30 Apr | 262.4 | 203.0 | high | 129% |
| Geeveston (Cemetery Road) | 17.1 | -0.2 | 26.8 | 19 Mar | 7.8 | +1.4 | -0.4 | 30 Apr | 290.8 | 194.0 | high | 150% |
| Grove (Research Station) | 17.9 | 27.2 | 19 Mar | 6.3 | -1.8 | 30 Apr | 218.7 | |||||
| Hobart (Ellerslie Road) | 18.6 | +1.3 | 28.9 | 5 Apr | 10.2 | +1.3 | 4.0 | 30 Apr | 145.0 | 142.9 | average | 101% |
| Hobart Airport | 18.8 | +0.8 | 28.1 | 20 Mar | 9.2 | +0.5 | 2.5 | 30 Apr | 140.8 | 114.9 | high | 123% |
| Maatsuyker Island Lighthouse | 14.9 | +0.4 | 24.3 | 19 Apr | 10.4 | +0.9 | 4.8 | 13 May | 457.8 | 309.0 | v high | 148% |
| Melton Mowbray (North Stockman) | 17.4 | -0.1 | 27.2 | 14 Mar | 7.0 | +0.9 | 0.4 | 30 Apr | 138.4 | 92.0 | high | 150% |
| Mount Wellington | 8.5 | +0.1 | 18.0 | 5 Apr | 2.5 | +0.3 | -3.6 | 13 May | ||||
| Tasman Island | 15.2 | +0.3 | 23.9 | 5 Apr | 10.2 | +0.4 | 3.1 | 13 May | 339.0 | 214.5 | v high | 158% |
| Tunnack Fire Station | 15.7 | +0.2 | 26.1 | 14 Mar | 6.0 | +0.6 | -3.2 | 30 Apr | ||||
| Derwent Valley (district 95) | ||||||||||||
| Bushy Park (Bushy Park Estates) | 18.7 | +0.7 | 28.3 | 19 Mar | 6.9 | +0.7 | -0.8 | 30 Apr | 166.4 | 131.1 | high | 127% |
| Maydena Post Office | 15.8 | -0.3 | 27.6 | 14 Mar | 6.9 | +1.4 | 1.5 | 10 Apr | 321.2 | 248.0 | high | 130% |
| Ouse Fire Station | 18.4 | -0.1 | 29.4 | 14 Mar | 6.7 | +1.3 | -0.6 | 30 Apr | ||||
| Tarraleah Village | 13.5 | -0.7 | 25.2 | 14 Mar | 5.7 | +1.6 | -1.2 | 29 May | 359.5 | 268.8 | high | 134% |
| Central Plateau (district 96) | ||||||||||||
| Butlers Gorge | 13.0 | -0.2 | 25.2 | 14 Mar | 4.9 | +1.5 | -1.8 | 2 Apr | 428.8 | 404.8 | average | 106% |
| Lake St Clair National Park | 12.8 | -0.5 | 25.2 | 14 Mar | 4.3 | +1.4 | -3.1 | 29 May | 491.0 | 401.3 | high | 122% |
| Liawenee | 11.6 | -0.9 | 22.1 | 14 Mar | 2.7 | +1.0 | -4.2 | 30 Apr | 289.4 | 211.9 | high | 137% |
| West Coast (district 97) | ||||||||||||
| Cape Sorell | 16.9 | +1.4 | 27.8 | 14 Mar | 11.4 | +1.1 | 6.3 | 24 May | 352.0 | 322.3 | average | 109% |
| Hartz Mountain (Keoghs Pimple) | 10.8 | -0.7 | 21.2 | 14 Mar | 5.0 | +0.3 | -1.1 | 13 May | ||||
| Mount Read | 8.6 | -0.4 | 21.6 | 14 Mar | 3.6 | +0.2 | -1.9 | 9 Apr | 1091.6* | 949.1 | average | 115% |
| Scotts Peak Dam | 14.8 | 0.0 | 26.1 | 19 Mar | 7.5 | +0.7 | 1.2 | 13 May | 580.6 | 398.1 | v high | 146% |
| Strahan Aerodrome | 17.1 | +0.4 | 30.3 | 14 Mar | 9.3 | +0.8 | 2.5 | 4 May | 447.0 | 358.6 | high | 125% |
| Strathgordon Village | 14.2 | -0.1 | 23.2 | 19 Mar | 7.8 | +0.8 | 2.0 | 9 Apr | 658.0 | 590.4 | average | 111% |
| Warra | 13.5 | 22.9 | 19 Mar | 6.3 | 0.6 | 13 May | 471.0 | |||||
| King Island (district 98) | ||||||||||||
| King Island Airport | 18.0 | +0.3 | 28.4 | 14 Mar | 11.3 | +0.8 | 5.9 | 16 Apr | 258.0 | 193.3 | high | 133% |
| Flinders Island (district 99) | ||||||||||||
| Flinders Island Airport | 18.7 | 0.0 | 29.3 | 14 Mar | 11.3 | +0.6 | 1.2 | 14 May | 132.7 | 188.0 | low | 71% |
| Antarctica and Macquarie Island (district 300) | ||||||||||||
| Macquarie Island | 7.4 | +0.5 | 10.1 | 16 Mar | 4.1 | +0.5 | -1.8 | 30 Apr | 279.8 | 276.1 | average | 101% |
* It is likely some snow was blown away at Mount Read, hence the autumn rainfall total should be higher.
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 Friday 1 June 2012. 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
