About Daily Maximum and Minimum Temperature Data
Introduction
Historical daily maximum and minimum temperature data are provided from this product in a variety of formats - web (html), data (csv), graphical, and print (pdf). In addition, there is a tool to compare data against related climate statistics (such as days above 40 °C).
The table of daily temperature data
- Above the table of data
Important information at the top of the page.
Near the top of the data table page are links to Help Pages, including this information page. Also at the same location are links to download the temperature data in text file format (.csv files) suitable for importing into spreadsheets and pdf format for printing. These files are created at the same time as the html page and automatically removed from the web site after a short time. Thus a stored link to one of these files (such as a Bookmark or Favorite in your browser) may not work for very long after it was created.
Information about the observing station is provided below these links to help assess how applicable the data are for your needs. A basic site summary and topographic map of the area around the observing station are provided by clicking on the map icon.
Key information about the data table
Guidance about how the measurement units, quality of the data, and accumulated totals are displayed in the data table is provided directly above the table. Another year of data can be selected by either using the "Earlier" and "Later" buttons at the top left of the table, or selecting the year from the drop-down list of years for which there are data available. There is also a tool which can compare temperatures against a threshold value. This highlighting tool does not detect whether the temperature is a one day observation or spans more than one day.
- The table of data
Information provided at the top of the data table.
In the top left of the table is the year in which the data were measured. The row below contains links to graphs of the daily temperature for each month of the year. Following this are the maximum (or minimum) temperature observations, with the day of the month in the left column. For each day of the year a table cell may contain:
- A number in normal black text - a temperature observation which has completed quality control.
- A number in red italic text - a temperature observation which has not completed quality control.
- A blank cell - no temperature observation is available for that day.
- A temperature observation for the day following one or more missing days. This value is also in red italic as the precise date of occurrence is not known. Due to several changes of practice since records began in the 1850s it is not possible to automatically determine the number of days over which the temperature was recorded, especially prior to the mid 1990s. Where this "period of accumulation" is known it can be viewed by moving the cursor over the observation.
- The bottom of the table of data
Information at the bottom of the data table
The highest and lowest daily maximum (or minimum) temperatures for each month are provided at the bottom of the data table. Below that is the monthly mean of the temperature. The monthly temperature is stored in a different database to the daily temperatures, and receives additional steps in the data processing. As a result, there are infrequent occasions when the average of the daily values in the data table does not agree with the monthly mean at the bottom of the data table. If there is a difference between the two the monthly value should be used.
The annual mean maximum or minimum temperature for the year is provided directly below the table of data. It is listed as being not available if there are missing monthly data. A progressive mean to end of the last complete month of data is provided if the table being displayed is for the current year. Next to the annual mean is a link to the full record of monthly mean temperature data, and a link to a graph of the year of daily temperature data.
Summary statistics
Summary statistics at the bottom of the data table.
Below the main table of data is a summary table of statistics related to the data in the main table, and a link to plot these statistics. These statistics are the long term mean for each month, the highest and lowest recorded daily values, and the highest and lowest mean value of any individual month calculated over all available years of data. The mean is provided if there are less than 10 years of data. Dates associated with the highest and lowest daily values (but not the monthly values which can be found in the associated monthly data table) can be seen by moving your mouse over each of the data in the table. The most recent date will be displayed if there is more than one occurrence for that month. Dates are also included in the data files and print files.
Finally, at the bottom of the page is the Bureau's product code for this page, and a unique reference number. Please record this number if you need to contact the Bureau about any aspect of the data you have retrieved. Further information is available from the Bureau, and there may be a charge associated with this service.
Graphical display of data
A graph of one month of daily maximum temperature
A graph of one year of daily maximum temperature
Monthly temperature statistics graph
