Wednesday, 6 January 2016 - Annual Climate Summary for Tasmania - Product code IDCKGC57R0
Tasmania in 2015: some heat, some cold, drier than usual
2015 was a mixed year for Tasmania, including both very warm and very cool weather. Rainfall for the year was below average in most areas.
- Statewide mean temperature close to average
- Temperatures above average in the warmer months, but below average in the cooler months
- Several bursts of snow through winter
- Rain below average, well below average in some areas
- Very dry in spring, but wet in January, March and May
Tasmania's mean temperature for 2015 was 0.14 °C above average, with the mean maximum temperature 0.28 °C above average and the mean minimum temperature right on average. These are all markedly cooler than 2014. Temperatures were well above average February, and again from September to December, but March, July and August had temperatures below average. With the very mixed year, very few annual temperature records were broken. But there were plenty of extreme temperatures and records in individual months: in particular cold days in March and August, warm days in September, very warm temperatures in October and a burst of heat in December. The winter months saw snow to low levels on several occasions, most notably during August. In early October, high temperatures, low humidity and strong winds combined with persistently dry conditions to bring an early start to the fire weather season.
Rainfall was below average in most parts of Tasmania, and especially so in the west, the northwest, and through the Midlands. The State mean rainfall was 20% below average, making it the eighth-lowest on record. Rain was generally above average in January, March and May, mostly below average in the other months, and record low in October. Very heavy rain fell in the southeast in mid-January, giving a few stations their wettest day on record. Persistent westerly winds through May made that month especially wet in the west, but a marked lack of westerlies led to the State's driest spring on record.
Hobart's mean daily maximum temperature of 17.7 °C was 0.8 °C above average, whilst its mean minimum temperature of 8.7 °C was 0.4 °C above average; both are about half a degree cooler than 2014. The hottest day in the capital was 36.0 °C on 25 December, with the coldest morning 0.3 °C on 22 June. Total rainfall for the year was 528 mm, about 86% of the long-term average. Hobart registered 71.6 mm of rain in the 24 hours to 9 am on 14 January, its wettest day since April 2011.
Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top
Notable events in 2015
Further information on these events can be found in the Monthly Weather Review.
Heavy rain
Even in a generally dry year there were some significant rain events, with the most notable being:
- 13 and 14 January: some sites in the the east and southeast reported well over 100 mm as a low moved slowly down the East Coast
- 26 March: slow-moving thunderstorms near Hobart and the Tasman Peninsula brought some flash flooding
Hot weather and bushfires
The 2014–15 fire weather season was tempered by significant rainfall in late summer and a lack of warm, windy weather over autumn. In early October, high temperatures, low humidity and strong winds combined with persistently dry conditions saw an early start to the 2015–16 fire weather season. The event is discussed in a Special Climate Statement: Early-season heat across southern Australia. Notable hot weather in 2015 included:
- 3 January: high temperatures (Friendly Beaches reached 39.7 °C) bring locally severe fire danger to the south and east of the State and King Island
- 3 October: locally extreme fire danger in the south and east, marking an early start to the normal fire weather season
- 6 October: Friendly Beaches reached 33.6 °C, the earliest in spring that a Tasmanian site has ever reported such a warm day
- 20 December: Many sites had their warmest December night on record, and 39.8 °C at Friendly Beaches was the hottest December day in Tasmania since 1897; details are discussed in a Special Climate Statement: Widespread record December temperatures in southeast Australia
Cold outbreaks and snow
The winter months saw snow to low levels on several days, especially during August. Most notable among these were:
- 7 May: snow settled below 200 m in the south in the wake of a cold front
- 3 August: Tasmania's most significant snow event since July 1986. Snow to sea level in the south and west, with snow flurries in Launceston
- 5 August: another burst of snow, down to around 100 m in the south and light falls to sea level
- 17 August: further road and school closures with snow to 200 m in the western, central and southern areas
- 26 November: In the wake of a strong cold front, Mount Read did not get above freezing, the latest in the year the site has reported such a cold day
Strong winds
Strong, gusty and damaging winds occurred in Tasmania several times through 2015. Persistent strong winds in January resulted in a significant reduction in the yield of leatherwood honey. Other strong wind events included:
- 5 and 6 May: strong and gusty winds, together with localised heavy rain, caused considerable disruption and some damage in many parts of Tasmania; on the 6th Mount Wellington's 159 km/h became Tasmania's strongest May wind gust on record
- 12 May: strong winds intensified, causing localised damage. Many sites registered gusts in excess of 100 km/h, and several had their strongest-ever May wind gust
- 8 June: Maatsuyker Island had a gust to 185 km/h, a new Australian record June wind gust, after a strong cold front crossed Tasmania
Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top
Further information
- Media
- media@bom.gov.au (03) 9669 4057
- Enquiries
- helpdesk.climate@bom.gov.au
Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top
| Extremes in 2015 | |
|---|---|
| Hottest day | 39.8 °C at Friendly Beaches on 20 Dec |
| Warmest days on average | 18.9 °C at Launceston (Ti Tree Bend) |
| Coolest days on average | 8.2 °C at Kunanyi (Mount Wellington Pinnacle) |
| Coldest day | -3.7 °C at Kunanyi (Mount Wellington Pinnacle) on 5 Aug |
| Coldest night | -11.1 °C at Liawenee on 8 Aug |
| Coolest nights on average |
1.3 °C at Kunanyi (Mount Wellington Pinnacle) and Liawenee |
| Warmest nights on average |
11.6 °C at Hogan Island |
| Warmest night |
21.9 °C at Flinders Island Airport on 20 Dec |
| Warmest on average overall |
14.5 °C at Hogan Island |
| Coolest on average overall |
4.7 °C at Kunanyi (Mount Wellington Pinnacle) |
| Wettest overall | 3306.2 mm at Mount Read * |
| Driest overall | 290.0 mm at Tunbridge (Austin-Vale) |
| Wettest day |
153.4 mm at Kunanyi (Mount Wellington Pinnacle) on 14 Jan |
| Strongest wind gust | 185 km/h at Maatsuyker Island Lighthouse on 8 Jun |
*Note: Mount Read was affected by snow several times during the year, and the true total was most certainly higher but not known exactly. The highest confirmed total was 2165.4 mm at South Queenstown.
Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top
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| Record highest daily rainfall | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
New record (mm) |
Old record |
Years of record |
||||
| Macquarie Island | 59.2 | on 17 Jan | 52.8 | on 14 Mar 2001 | 68 | |
| Taroona (Taroona Crescent) | 102.4 | on 14 Jan | 97.2 | on 13 Apr 2011 | 54 | |
| Margate (Sunnyside) | 123.2 | on 14 Jan | 102.6 | on 23 Mar 1983 | 48 | |
| Blackmans Bay Treatment Plant | 120.0 | on 14 Jan | 110.6 | on 7 Feb 1999 | 34 | |
| Judbury (Huon River) | 50.4 | on 29 Aug | 46.6 | on 13 Apr 2011 | 24 | |
| Record highest annual total rainfall | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
New record (mm) |
Old record |
Years of record |
Annual average |
||
| Macquarie Island | 1260.6 | 1244.6 | in 2005 | 63 | 981.4 |
| Record lowest annual total rainfall | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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New record (mm) |
Old record |
Years of record |
Annual average |
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| Cape Sorell | 769.4 | 892.3 | in 1914 | 84 | 1315.6 |
| Westbury (Birralee Road) | 482.5 | 569.6 | in 1994 | 31 | 767.1 |
| Lowest annual total rainfall for at least 20 years | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Observed (mm) |
Most recent lower |
Annual average |
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| Cape Bruny Lighthouse | 674.0 | 655.4 | in 1937* | 941.2 | |
| Avoca (Railway House) | 364.6 | 342.5 | in 1961* | 549.2 | |
| Mauriceton (Jordan River) | 365.0 | 296.2 | in 1961* | 523.3 | |
| Zeehan (West Coast Pioneers Museum) | 2072.0 | 1979.8 | in 1985* | 2386.3 | |
| Lake Leake (Elizabeth River) | 478.8 | 466.4 | in 1994* | 823.6 | |
* note: there are gaps in the historical record at this site, so it is possible a lower value has gone unreported.
| Record highest daily minimum temperature | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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New record (°C) |
Old record |
Years of record |
Annual average |
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| Launceston (Ti Tree Bend) | 21.0 | on 20 Dec | 20.9 | on 30 Jan 2009 | 35 | 7.3 |
| Record lowest temperature | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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New record (°C) |
Old record |
Years of record |
Annual average |
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| Wynyard Airport | -3.6 | on 21 Jun | = -3.6 | on 25 Jul 2002 | 31 | 7.1 |
| Devonport Airport | -2.2 | on 19 Jul | -2.0 | on 10 Jul 1997 | 25 | 8.3 |
| Smithton Aerodrome | -3.9 | on 20 Jun | -3.0 | on 25 Apr 1997 | 20 | 7.7 |
| Lowest annual mean daily minimum temperature for at least 20 years | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Observed (°C) |
Most recent lower |
Annual average |
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| Burnie (Round Hill) | 9.0 | 8.7 | in 1984* | 9.3 | |
* note: there are gaps in the historical record at this site, so it is possible a lower value has gone unreported.
Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top
| Summary statistics for 2015 | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maximum temperatures (°C) |
Minimum temperatures (°C) |
Rainfall (millimetres) |
||||||||||
| Mean for 2015 |
Diff from average |
Highest for 2015 |
Mean for 2015 |
Diff from average |
Lowest for 2015 |
Total for 2015 |
Average annual total |
Rank of 2015 |
Fraction of annual average |
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| Northern (district 91) | ||||||||||||
| Bridport (Sea View Villas) | 17.5 | 0.0 | 29.5 | 3 Jan | -0.5 | 18 Aug | 698.4 | 736.5 | average | 95% | ||
| Burnie (Round Hill) | 17.3 | +0.4 | 27.5 | 29 Dec | 9.0 | -0.3 | 0.6 | 1 Jun | ||||
| Cape Grim | 15.3 | 27.3 | 3 Jan | 10.1 | 2.9 | 7 Jul | 730.8 | |||||
| Cape Grim BAPS (Comparison) | 15.7 | 0.0 | 27.7 | 3 Jan | 10.1 | -0.5 | 3.1 | 3 Aug | 734.6 | 775.1 | average | 95% |
| Cressy Research Station | 18.2 | 0.0 | 34.5 | 31 Dec | 5.5 | -0.2 | -6.4 | 19 Jul | 396.6 | 615.4 | v low | 64% |
| Devonport Airport | 17.2 | +0.3 | 30.6 | 8 Feb | 8.1 | -0.2 | -2.2 | 19 Jul | 553.3 | 764.7 | v low | 72% |
| Launceston (Ti Tree Bend) | 18.9 | +0.4 | 32.8 | 18 Dec | 7.3 | 0.0 | -3.4 | 21 Jun | 487.9 | 676.0 | v low | 72% |
| Launceston Airport | 18.0 | -0.2 | 33.6 | 20 Dec | 5.8 | -0.6 | -5.4 | 4 Jun | 481.6 | 610.6 | low | 79% |
| Low Head | 16.6 | 0.0 | 27.0 | 14 Jan | 10.3 | -0.2 | 0.9 | 18 Jul | 529.4 | 666.7 | v low | 79% |
| Luncheon Hill (Forestry) | 15.7 | +0.1 | 32.9 | 31 Dec | 7.1 | -0.4 | -0.9 | 3 Aug | 1260.2 | 1521.9 | v low | 83% |
| Scottsdale (West Minstone Road) | 17.2 | -0.1 | 32.0 | 31 Dec | 7.2 | 0.0 | -3.0 | 4 Aug | 705.6 | 972.5 | v low | 73% |
| Smithton Aerodrome | 17.3 | +0.1 | 29.4 | 3 Jan | 7.1 | -0.6 | -3.9 | 20 Jun | 681.2 | 884.9 | v low | 77% |
| Wynyard Airport | 17.4 | +0.4 | 30.0 | 20 Dec | 7.0 | -0.1 | -3.6 | 21 Jun | 666.4 | 975.4 | v low | 68% |
| East Coast (district 92) | ||||||||||||
| Bicheno (Council Depot) | 18.0 | +0.2 | 37.4 | 3 Jan | 9.6 | +0.1 | 0.9 | 4 Aug | 580.9 | 678.7 | average | 86% |
| Fingal (Legge Street) | 17.9 | +0.1 | 36.2 | 3 Jan | 5.1 | -0.2 | -7.2 | 19 Jul | 490.4 | 608.1 | low | 81% |
| Friendly Beaches | 18.6 | +0.2 | 39.8 | 20 Dec | 9.2 | -0.2 | -0.6 | 19 Jul | 617.6 | 672.0 | average | 92% |
| Lake Leake (Elizabeth River) | 14.2 | +0.3 | 31.9 | 19 Dec | 3.8 | -0.2 | -6.2 | 21 Jun | 478.8 | 823.6 | v low | 58% |
| Larapuna (Eddystone Point) | 17.9 | +0.7 | 33.3 | 20 Dec | 10.6 | +0.2 | 0.6 | 18 Aug | 480.4 | 759.3 | v low | 63% |
| Maria Island (Point Lesueur) | 16.8 | -0.3 | 31.3 | 20 Dec | 10.3 | -0.1 | 2.2 | 3 Aug | 371.6 | |||
| St Helens Aerodrome | 18.0 | 0.0 | 34.7 | 3 Jan | 8.8 | -0.1 | -0.9 | 3 Jul | 576.4 | 664.1 | low | 87% |
| Swan Island | 17.1 | 0.0 | 31.2 | 3 Jan | 11.5 | -0.1 | 3.5 | 18 Aug | 576.0 | |||
| Swansea (Francis Street) | 18.1 | 39.5 | 3 Jan | 8.0 | -2.9 | 19 Jul | 456.4 | |||||
| Midlands (district 93) | ||||||||||||
| Ross (The Boulevards) | 17.8 | +0.1 | 39.4 | 25 Dec | 5.5 | -0.1 | -6.1 | 19 Jul | 369.2 | 483.5 | low | 76% |
| Southeast (district 94) | ||||||||||||
| Campania (Kincora) | 18.6 | 0.0 | 37.6 | 3 Jan | 7.2 | -0.1 | -2.7 | 19 Jul | 346.4 | 481.4 | v low | 72% |
| Cape Bruny (Cape Bruny) | 15.9 | -0.1 | 35.5 | 25 Dec | 8.9 | -0.4 | 1.6 | 3 Aug | 673.0 | 772.1 | low | 87% |
| Cape Bruny Lighthouse | 15.5 | +0.6 | 34.6 | 25 Dec | 0.9 | 5 Aug | 674.0 | 941.2 | v low | 72% | ||
| Dennes Point | 16.7 | 31.8 | 9 Nov | 9.1 | 0.9 | 3 Aug | 557.4 | |||||
| Dover | 16.7 | +0.2 | 36.9 | 25 Dec | 6.4 | -0.4 | -2.0 | 8 Jul | 861.8 | 877.6 | average | 98% |
| Dunalley (Stroud Point) | 17.2 | 32.6 | 6 Oct | 9.6 | 0.7 | 3 Aug | 450.0 | |||||
| Grove (Research Station) | 17.4 | -0.2 | 35.9 | 22 Feb | 5.5 | -0.2 | -3.8 | 9 Jul | 688.8 | 718.8 | average | 96% |
| Hobart (Ellerslie Road) | 17.7 | +0.8 | 36.0 | 25 Dec | 8.7 | +0.4 | 0.3 | 22 Jun | 528.4 | 614.0 | average | 86% |
| Hobart Airport | 18.1 | +0.6 | 37.1 | 22 Feb | 8.1 | 0.0 | -0.9 | 23 May | 356.2 | 493.5 | low | 72% |
| Kunanyi (Mount Wellington Pinnacle) | 8.2 | +0.4 | 26.8 | 3 Jan | 1.3 | -0.1 | -7.5 | 3 Aug | ||||
| Melton Mowbray (North Stockman) | 17.5 | +0.1 | 37.9 | 3 Jan | 5.8 | -0.2 | -4.7 | 8 Jul | 380.0 | 447.7 | low | 85% |
| Tunnack Fire Station | 15.4 | +0.1 | 33.4 | 3 Jan | 4.6 | -0.5 | -6.3 | 8 Jul | 426.4 | 622.8 | v low | 68% |
| Derwent Valley (district 95) | ||||||||||||
| Bushy Park (Bushy Park Estates) | 18.6 | +0.9 | 37.6 | 3 Jan | 5.7 | -0.2 | -5.1 | 9 Jul | 480.0 | 572.4 | low | 84% |
| Ouse Fire Station | 18.5 | +0.1 | 38.9 | 3 Jan | 5.3 | -0.2 | -6.8 | 8 Jul | ||||
| Central Plateau (district 96) | ||||||||||||
| Butlers Gorge | 13.5 | +0.7 | 32.6 | 19 Dec | 2.8 | -0.2 | -6.6 | 9 Jul | 1376.4 | 1669.6 | low | 82% |
| Liawenee | 12.2 | +0.1 | 28.2 | 3 Jan | 1.3 | -0.3 | -11.1 | 8 Aug | 704.4 | 953.1 | v low | 74% |
| West Coast (district 97) | ||||||||||||
| Hartz Mountain (Keoghs Pimple) | 11.1 | -0.4 | 30.7 | 22 Feb | 3.5 | -0.5 | -4.3 | 3 Aug | 1018.6 | |||
| Low Rocky Point | 15.4 | 32.5 | 25 Dec | 8.9 | 1.9 | 8 Jul | 1104.4 | 1319.4 | v low | 84% | ||
| Scotts Peak Dam | 15.0 | +0.1 | 35.9 | 22 Feb | 5.8 | -0.4 | -1.9 | 8 Jul | 1628.8 | 1876.6 | v low | 87% |
| Strahan Aerodrome | 16.6 | +0.1 | 33.8 | 25 Dec | 7.6 | -0.3 | -1.8 | 24 Aug | 1304.4 | 1521.3 | low | 86% |
| Warra | 13.7 | -0.1 | 33.5 | 22 Feb | 4.7 | -0.6 | -3.7 | 8 Jul | 1740.8 | |||
| King Island (district 98) | ||||||||||||
| King Island Airport | 17.0 | 0.0 | 35.1 | 19 Dec | 9.8 | -0.2 | 1.4 | 31 Aug | 622.0 | 854.9 | v low | 73% |
| Flinders Island (district 99) | ||||||||||||
| Flinders Island Airport | 18.3 | +0.5 | 38.3 | 20 Dec | 9.8 | 0.0 | -1.9 | 20 Jun | ||||
| Hogan Island | 17.4 | 36.4 | 3 Jan | 11.6 | 3.2 | 27 Jul | 402.2 | |||||
| Antarctica and Macquarie Island (district 300) | ||||||||||||
| Macquarie Island | 6.6 | 0.0 | 11.2 | 14 Feb | 2.8 | -0.3 | -5.4 | 12 Jun | 1260.6 | 981.4 | highest | 128% |
Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top
Notes
The Annual climate summary lists the main features of the weather in Tasmania using the most timely and accurate information available on the date of publication; it will generally not be updated. Later information, including data that has had greater opportunity for quality control, will be presented in the Monthly Weather Review.
A climate summary is generally published on the first working day of each month.
This statement has been prepared based on information available at 8 am on Wednesday 6 January 2016. Some checks have been made on the data, but it is possible that results will change as new information becomes available.
Averages for individual sites are long-term means based on observations from
all available years of record, which vary widely from site to site.
They are not shown for sites with less than 10 years of record, as they cannot then be calculated reliably.
The median
is sometimes more representative than the
mean
of long-term average rain.
The Rank indicates how rainfall this time compares with the climate record for the site,
based on the
decile ranking
(very low rainfall is in decile 1, low in decile 2 or 3,
average in decile 4 to 7, high in decile 8 or 9
and very high is in decile 10).
The Fraction of average shows how much rain has fallen this time as a
percentage of the long-term mean.
The ACORN-SAT dataset is used for temperature area averages.
Further information
- Media
- media@bom.gov.au (03) 9669 4057
- Enquiries
- helpdesk.climate@bom.gov.au
Unless otherwise noted, all maps, graphs and diagrams in this page are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence
