Daly
Climate overview
Rainfall
Total rainfall across the Daly region was higher than average for the 2013–14 year. The total area-averaged rainfall over the Daly region was 1,138 mm, compared to the long-term area-averaged rainfall of 1,033 mm (for the period 1900–2014). The 2013–14 conditions represent a slight increase in rainfall when compared to the 2012–13 year total of 1,068 mm (see 2013 Account).
The above average rainfall observed in the Daly region occurred mainly along the coast (Figure C1), with drier conditions experienced further inland.
Figure C1 Annual rainfall deciles for the Daly region during the 2013–14 year
Annual rainfall ranged from more than 1,600 mm in the north west of the region to less than 600 mm in the south and east (Figure C2).
Figure C2 Total annual rainfall for the Daly region during the 2013-14 year
Generally, below average rainfall was experienced across much of eastern Australia during the 2013-14 year, while rainfall was well above average in parts of southern and northern central Australia and the southeast coast. There were no strong influences from large-scale drivers during the reporting year, with a short-lived negative Indian Ocean Dipole event decaying at the start of the year. The El Niño-Southern Oscillation was neutral for most of the year, although rapid warming of eastern Pacific towards the end of the year caused an El Niño Alert to be issued in April.
Figure C3 Total monthly rainfall for the Daly region during the 2013–14 year compared with the long-term average and percentiles for the region
The area-averaged monthly rainfall varied between average and slightly higher than average conditions over the 2013–14 year (Figure C3). January and February were the wettest months during the reporting period in the Daly region, recording between 20–25% higher rainfall than the long-term monthly average. The month of November reported a total of 157mm which is almost double that of the long-term average of 80mm and indicated the early onset of the wet season for the 2013–14 year.
Evapotranspiration
Potential evapotranspiration across the region was average to above average for the 2013–14 year (Figure C4). The potential evaporation estimate was produced by the Australian Water Resources Assessment system landscape model (AWRA-L) version 3.0 (Van Dijk 2010). The AWRA-L model uses a modified version of the Penman–Monteith method to produce the potential evaporation. Daily AWRA-L potential evaporation grids were produced based on daily gridded climate data that were available on a 0.050 (approximately 5 km) national grid.
Figure C4 Annual evapotranspiration deciles for the Daly region during the 2013–14 year
The total area-averaged potental evapotranspiration over the Daly region during the 2013–14 year was 1,432 mm. Potential evapotranspiration for most of the region ranged between 1,600 mm to 1,800 (Figure C5).
The total area-averaged actual evapotranspiration over the Daly region during the 2013–14 year was 863 mm, about 60% of the potential evapotranspiration for the year. High rainfall during November 2013 to February 2014 corresponded with the hottest part of the year (see Temperature) resulting in above average actual evapotranspiration.
Figure C5 Evapotranspiration for the Daly region during the 2013–14 year
Temperature
The Daly region experienced very much above average mean temperatures throughout the 2013–14 year based on temperature records for 1911–2014 (Figure C6). Towards the south and east of the region experienced record high temperatures.
Figure C6 Annual mean temperature deciles for the Daly region during the 2013–14 year
The entire Daly region experienced annual mean temperatures exceeding 26°C during the reporting period (Figure C7).
Figure C7 Annual mean temperature for the Daly region during the 2013–14 year
Monthly mean temperatures for the Daly region exceeded the long-term average for most of the 2013–14 year. September, October, April and May recorded temperatures at or above the 90th percentile (Figure C8).
Figure C8 Monthly mean daily temperature for the Daly region during the 2013–14 year compared with the long-term average and percentiles for the region