Wednesday, 1 June 2016 - Seasonal Climate Summary for Tasmania - Product code IDCKGC27R0

Tasmania in autumn 2016: very warm; dry until May

It was second-warmest autumn on record for Tasmania, with only a few cold days and mild temperatures lasting well into May. March and April were relatively dry, but persistent westerlies through much of May brought copious rain, especially to the west. The very wet May meant the State had its wettest autumn since 1977.

• Second-warmest autumn mean temperature for Tasmania
• Warmest mean minimum temperature on record
• Dry in March and April, then a very wet May
• Tasmania's wettest autumn since 1977

Much of Tasmania, and especially the west, had a wet autumn. However, March and April were relatively dry for much of the State, and it was only an exceptionally wet May that brought autumn totals as high as they were. Mount Read recorded 1458 mm for the season, of which 919 mm fell during May. The few sites with long records in the west of the State reported their wettest autumn since the 1970s. Overall, rain was about 18% above the autumn average, making it the wettest autumn since 1977. Wet autumns were more common in the 20th century than they have been in recent decades, with many autumns wetter than this year.

Tasmania's mean temperature for autumn was the second-highest on record at 1.10 °C above average, just below the previous record of +1.14 °C from 2007. There was a distinct lack of cold weather during autumn, with fewer cold outbreaks than is usual for the time of year. The only extended period of cold weather came at the end of May. Windy conditions also ensured overnight temperatures rarely dropped to low values, and the State's mean minimum temperature was a a record high at 1.26 °C above average. Tasmania's mean maximum temperature was 0.92 °C above average, making it the eighth-warmest. Several sites (including Hobart) reported their their highest autumn mean daily minimum temperature on record, some their highest autumn mean daily maximum temperature on record and several their warmest autumn on record overall. The autumn warmth affected much of Australia, and a Special Climate Statement Australia's warmest autumn on record giving some more details has been prepared.

Hobart

Hobart had a record warm autumn, with a mean temperature coming in 1.9 °C above average at 15.0 °C, which is 0.2 °C warmer than the previous record from 2010. The mean daily maximum equalled the 2010 record at 19.2 °C (1.9 °C above average), but the mean daily minimum was a clear record at 10.7 °C (1.7 °C above average). The city's warmest day was on 2 March, with 31.6 °C; the coolest day was on 25 May, at 9.8 °C. The temperature dipped to 1.8 °C in the morning of 31 May. Although the city had a wet May (96.0 mm), both March (17.0 mm) and April (8.8 mm) were relatively dry, meaning autumn as a whole was below the long-term average with 121.8 mm.

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top

Maps
	Observed	Anomaly	Decile rank
Total rainfall
Mean daily maximum temperatures
Mean daily minimum temperatures

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* note: there are gaps in the historical record at this site, so it is possible a higher value has gone unreported.

* note: there are gaps in the historical record at this site, so it is possible a higher value has gone unreported.

* 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

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top