Friday, 8 January 2021 - Annual Climate Summary for Northern Territory - Product code IDCKGC52R0

Northern Territory in 2020: fifth-warmest year on record; close to average rainfall

2020 saw much warmer than average temperatures across the Northern Territory. The Territory-wide maximum, minimum and mean temperatures were all above average, and the fifth-, second- and fifth-warmest respectively, since records commenced in 1910. Every month apart from May and December recorded above average maximum and mean temperatures. Rainfall for the year was marginally below the long-term average, with only 4 months recording above average totals across the NT during the year.

Warm days and nights across the Territory

• A large majority of the NT had daytime temperatures in their highest 10% of long-term records, while more than half of the Territory had night-time temperatures in the highest 10% of records.
• Territory-wide, the annual mean maximum temperature for 2020 was 1.28 °C above the long-term average, while the annual mean minimum was 1.27 °C above average; the annual mean temperature was 1.27 °C above average.
• The mean minimum was the equal second-warmest on record, behind only 1998 which was 1.65 °C above average, while the mean maximum and mean temperatures were ranked the fifth-warmest on record.
• Some sites, including Tindal RAAF, near Katherine, had their highest mean daily maximum temperature on record.
• Some long-term observation sites had either their warmest night (highest daily minimum temperature) on record, their highest mean daily minimum temperature on record or their highest mean daily minimum temperature for at least 20 years.

Slightly less than average rainfall

• Rainfall was variable by region and month across the NT in 2020: Territory-wide, annual rainfall was 10% below the long-term average.
• January, February, October and December had rainfall totals above average, with September being equal to the long-term mean.
• Parts of the Top End and the southwest of the NT had the most significant rainfall deficiencies, while parts across the central belt of the Northern Territory saw widespread areas of greater than average rainfall.
• The only notable rainfall records related to tropical low/cyclone activity, mostly early in 2020: two sites in the north-west Top End had their highest daily rainfall on record in January, including Dum In Mirrie which had the highest daily rainfall ever recorded in the NT, as the low which became tropical cyclone Claudia passed nearby,
• Bullo River in the Gregory District had its highest daily rainfall on record in February, as tropical cyclone Esther passed nearby; in December, a tropical low and associated trough led to record rainfall at Mount Denison in the south-western NT.
• 19 December was the official monsoon onset date at Darwin for the 2020-21 northern wet season, more than a week earlier than average (29 December).

Darwin Airport

• Total rainfall for Darwin Airport was 1740.2 mm, which is 101% of the long-term average of 1723.0 mm.
• The mean daily maximum temperature for Darwin Airport was 33.1 °C, which is 1.0 °C above the long-term average of 32.1 °C.
• The warmest day was 37.0 °C on 17 November and 8 September, and the coolest day was on 22 May when the temperature reached 25.0 °C.
• Darwin Airport had 44 days of 35 °C or more, compared to the annual record of 45 (set in 2019), and long-term average of 12 such days; record monthly number of days of 35 °C or above were set in June, August and November 2020.
• The mean daily minimum temperature for Darwin Airport was 23.9 °C, which is 0.7 °C above the long-term average of 23.2 °C.
• The coldest morning was 16.2 °C on 30 July, and the warmest morning was on 26 February when the minimum temperature was 29.7 °C.
• Darwin Airport had 46 daily minimum temperatures below 20 °C during dry-season 2020, just below the long-term average of 51 such nights.

Alice Springs Airport

• Total annual rainfall for Alice Springs Airport was 245.0 mm, which is 87% of the long-term average of 282.3 mm.
• The annual mean daily maximum temperature for Alice Springs Airport was 30.2 °C, which is 1.3 °C above the long-term average of 28.9 °C.
• The warmest day was 43.7 °C on 28 November, and the coolest day was on 5 October when the temperature reached 13.0 °C.
• Alice Springs Airport had 115 days of 35 °C or more in 2020, compared to the annual record of 137, and long-term average of 92 such days; the November total of 25 such days was the highest on record for that month.
• The annual mean daily minimum temperature for Alice Springs Airport was 14.2 °C, which is 1.0 °C above the long-term average of 13.2 °C.
• The coldest morning in 2020 was -0.9 °C on 28 June, and the warmest morning was on 10 January, when the minimum temperature was 31.0 °C.
• Alice Springs Airport had 16 sub-zero nights, slightly up on the long-term average of 13.

Tropical cyclones

• Two tropical cyclones affected the Northern Territory in 2020: the tropical low which became TC Claudia passed over the northern Top End in early January, while TC Esther made landfall near the Queensland border before twice crossing central parts of the NT in late February to early March.

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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Monthly maps
	Rainfall rank	Maximum temperature rank	Minimum temperature rank
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December

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Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top