Monday, 2 December 2019 - Seasonal Climate Summary for Tasmania - Product code IDCKGC27R0

Tasmania in spring 2019: warm days, cool nights, below-average rainfall

Rainfall was mostly below average in Tasmania during spring, although much of the west and parts of the east had above-average totals. Daytime temperatures were mostly above average and included a spring record hot day on 21 November, but overnight temperatures were mostly below average. Gusty westerly winds, a common feature of spring in Tasmania, continued well into November.

Rainfall mostly below average

• Total spring rainfall was mostly below average in Tasmania, with October especially dry, although rain in the west during November and on the East Coast during September meant that totals were average or even above average in those areas
• Thunderstorms associated with a low pressure system near the State on 6 and 7 September brought localised flash flooding to the north, and a handful of sites in the east had their highest spring daily rainfall on record; marked river rises and some minor flooding was reported in northeast river basins
• Some sites in the west reported their highest total spring rainfall for many years and a few with relatively short record had their highest total spring rainfall on record
• The relatively dry September and very dry October meant that Tasmania's total rainfall was about 20% below the spring average
• Rainfall for the year so far has been below average for most of Tasmania and well below average in the east, but close to average in the western highlands

Warm days, cool nights

• Warm days but cold nights meant Tasmania's overall mean temperature for spring was just 0.06 °C above average, the coolest spring since 2006
• Maximum temperatures were above average during September, well above average in October, but below average in November (apart from the east)
• Spring mean maximum temperatures were above average for most of Tasmania apart from the northwest, with the State's mean maximum temperature 0.47 °C above average
• September brought several cool days, notably when cold, cloudy and wet weather from a low that passed over the State on the 6th saw many sites struggling to reach 10 °C, and gave Fingal and Friendly Beaches their coldest spring day on record
• On 21 November temperatures at many sites reached well into the 30s and several (including Hobart, Devonport, Bushy Park, Fingal and Orford) had their highest spring temperature on record; Campania, Hobart Airport, Dunalley, Hobart and Orford all reported temperatures in the 10 hottest spring temperatures ever recorded in Tasmania
• Cold nights were common through spring, with a few sites with short records registering their lowest spring temperature on record in the middle of September
• Spring mean minimum temperatures were below average for most of Tasmania apart from the south, with the State's mean minimum temperature 0.37 °C below average and the coolest since 2006
• Temperatures for the year so far have been above average in Tasmania, with maximum temperatures especially warm and particularly so in the east

Gusty westerly winds

• Strong and gusty westerly winds, a common feature of late winter and early spring in Tasmania, continued well into November
• The strongest wind gust during spring was 154 km/h at kunanyi (Mount Wellington Pinnacle) on 12 September, closely followed by 152 km/h at Maatsuyker Island Lighthouse on 21 September
• Both kunanyi (Mount Wellington Pinnacle) and Maatsuyker Island Lighthouse recorded a gust to 139 km/h on 14 November

Hobart (Ellerslie Road)

• Total rainfall for Hobart (Ellerslie Road) was 93.0 mm, just over half the long-term average, with less than 18 mm of rain falling during October
• The mean daily maximum temperature for Hobart (Ellerslie Road) was 18.6 °C, which is 1.6 °C above the long-term average of 17.0 °C
• The hottest day was 36.8 °C on 21 November, which equalled the spring record for Hobart that was set on the 26 November 1937
• The mean daily minimum temperature for Hobart (Ellerslie Road) was 8.1 °C, which is 0.2 °C above the long-term average of 7.9 °C
• The coldest morning was 1.4 °C on 17 September (the coldest spring morning since 2017), and the warmest morning was on 25 October when the minimum temperature was 15.9 °C
• Strong and gusty westerly winds, a common feature of late winter and early spring in Hobart, continued well into November
• Hobart's strongest wind gusts during spring were 113 km/h on 12 September, followed by 91 km/h on 13 November
• The year so far has been warm and dry for Hobart, which has had its highest mean maximum temperature for the January to November period; the mean minimum temperature was also above average and total rainfall was less than two-thirds of average

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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Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top