Thursday, 3 March 2022 - Monthly Climate Summary for Australian Capital Territory - Product code IDCKGC15L0

Australian Capital Territory in February 2022: Cool and generally dry

February was cool across the Australian Capital Territory with daytime temperatures around 2 degrees below average. Canberra Airport had its coolest February nights since 1996. It was dry for much of the month, but storms at the start and end saw close to average totals overall, and above average in the southern suburbs.

Generally dry

  • It was dry for much of February across the Australian Capital Territory.
  • Storms at the start and end of the month saw totals close to average overall, and above average in the southern suburbs of Canberra.
  • Rain from a front at the start of the month saw totals of 15 to 30 mm in some areas.
  • The Australian Capital Territory was affected by storms on the 25th and 26th, with two-day totals of 40 to 60 mm to 9am on the 27th, resulting in some road closures.
  • Tuggeranong recorded 81.6 mm in the 24 hours to 9am on the 27th, including 55.2 mm in 3 hours, its highest daily total since June 2016.

Cool conditions

  • February was cool across the Australian Capital Territory.
  • Mean maximum temperatures were around 2 °C below the average over recent decades.
  • Mean minimum tmperatures were around 0.5 to 1 °C below the average over recent decades.
  • The monthly mean minimum temperature of 12.4 °C at Canberra Airport was the coolest for February since 1996.
  • The warmest period was in the middle of the month, when the Australian Capital Territory was under an anticyclone that extended from the Tasman Sea.

Canberra Airport

  • Total rainfall for Canberra Airport was 55.4 mm, which is 84% of the average at the current site of 65.8 mm, or 96% of the long-term average of 57.7 mm.
  • The mean daily maximum temperature for Canberra Airport was 26.2 °C, which is 1.9 °C below the average at the current site of 28.1 °C, or 1.0 °C below the average over all years of 27.2 °C.
  • The warmest day was 32.7 °C on the 15th, and the coolest day was on the 4th when the temperature reached 20.7 °C.
  • The mean daily minimum temperature for Canberra Airport was 12.4 °C, which is 1.1 °C below the average at the current site of 13.5 °C, or 0.7 °C below the average over all years of 13.1 °C.
  • The coldest morning was 6.7 °C on the 4th, and the warmest morning was on the 25th when the minimum temperature was 17.8 °C.
    • Note: Observations for “Canberra Airport” are taken from the current site Canberra Airport (070351) which opened in late 2008. Comparisons and averages over all years are made against data from the previous site Canberra Airport Comparison (070014), which ran from 1939 to 2010, combined with the current site from March 2010 onwards.

    Further information

    Media
    (03) 9669 4057

    Extremes Maps Records Summaries Daily observations Important notes the top

    Extremes in February 2022
    Hottest day 32.7 °C at Canberra Airport on the 15th
    Warmest days on average 26.2 °C at Canberra Airport
    Coolest days on average 17.1 °C at Mount Ginini AWS
    Coldest day 11.6 °C at Mount Ginini AWS on the 4th
    Coldest night 1.4 °C at Mount Ginini AWS on the 4th
    Coolest nights on average 8.3 °C at Mount Ginini AWS
    Warmest nights on average 13.2 °C at Tuggeranong (Isabella Plains) AWS
    Warmest night 17.8 °C at Canberra Airport on the 25th
    Warmest on average overall 19.6 °C at Tuggeranong (Isabella Plains) AWS
    Coolest on average overall 12.7 °C at Mount Ginini AWS
    Wettest overall 154.2 mm at Torrens (Darke St)
    Driest overall 45.3 mm at Nicholls (Gungahlin Lakes)
    Wettest day 81.6 mm at Tuggeranong (Isabella Plains) AWS on the 27th
    Strongest wind gust 61 km/h at Mount Ginini AWS on the 4th

    Extremes Maps Records Summaries Daily observations Important notes the top



    Extremes Maps Records Summaries Daily observations Important notes the top

    Summary statistics for February 2022
    Maximum temperatures
    (°C)    		 Minimum temperatures
    (°C)    		 Rainfall
    (millimetres)
    Mean for
    February
    2022    		 Diff
    from
    average    		 Highest for
    February
    2022    		 Mean for
    February
    2022    		 Diff
    from
    average    		 Lowest for
    February
    2022    		 Total for
    February
    2022    		 Average
    for
    February    		 Rank of
    February
    2022    		 Fraction of
    February
    average
    Canberra Airport 26.2 -1.9 32.7 15th 12.4 -1.1 6.7 4th 55.4 65.8 average 84%
    Mount Ginini AWS 17.1 -1.7 23.5 15th 8.3 -0.5 1.4 4th 85.8 99.7 average 86%
    Tuggeranong (Isabella Plains) AWS 26.0 -2.0 31.6 15th 13.2 -1.0 9.4 12th 142.4 76.4 high 186%

    Extremes Maps Records Summaries Daily observations Important notes the top

    Daily maximum temperatures for February 2022
    12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728
    Canberra Airport29.423.123.220.722.422.023.624.927.430.324.724.426.830.632.731.030.729.224.030.329.222.125.527.022.922.825.826.3
    Mount Ginini AWS19.218.714.311.613.112.614.216.218.221.217.116.218.420.423.522.119.919.317.019.119.014.214.417.014.913.617.816.9
    Tuggeranong (Isabella Plains) AWS29.221.522.620.322.221.622.525.227.430.125.724.326.631.231.631.029.930.223.729.828.523.625.127.222.921.826.526.1
    Values are the maximum temperature, usually in the 24 hours from 9 am on the day indicated,
    and typically occurred in the afternoon of that day.
    Temperatures coloured according to their difference
    from the long-term average for the period    		 -10.0 -9.0 -8.0 -7.0 -6.0 -5.0 -4.0 -3.0 -2.0 -1.0 0.0 +1.0 +2.0 +3.0 +4.0 +5.0 +6.0 +7.0 +8.0 +9.0 +10.0 °C Grey outline marks highest
    and lowest for the period
    Daily minimum temperatures for February 2022
    12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728
    Canberra Airport14.117.49.06.711.88.47.89.210.010.514.010.39.810.911.111.713.110.614.112.212.316.014.316.517.815.914.216.5
    Mount Ginini AWS13.111.34.11.44.03.64.14.55.610.89.44.45.59.012.813.212.78.77.47.79.79.09.911.211.29.78.09.5
    Tuggeranong (Isabella Plains) AWS15.116.511.19.612.311.010.012.911.711.014.39.411.510.511.613.013.411.414.613.012.215.416.317.217.716.913.316.9
    Values are the minimum temperature, usually in the 24 hours to 9 am on the day indicated,
    and typically occurred that morning.
    Temperatures coloured according to their difference
    from the long-term average for the period    		 -10.0 -9.0 -8.0 -7.0 -6.0 -5.0 -4.0 -3.0 -2.0 -1.0 0.0 +1.0 +2.0 +3.0 +4.0 +5.0 +6.0 +7.0 +8.0 +9.0 +10.0 °C Grey outline marks highest
    and lowest for the period
    Daily rainfall for February 2022
    12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728
    Aranda (Bindaga St) 16.8 0.2 - 0.6 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2.6 3.8 24.2 35.4 0.2
    Bruce (Australian Institute of Sport) 8.6 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 9.0 - - - 65.4
    Canberra Airport 0.4 - - - - - - - 9.2 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 3.2 0.6 9.4 32.4 0.2
    Ginninderra (Charnwood (ACT)) - - - - - - - - - 20.0 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 0.2 18.4 36.2 0.2
    Mount Ginini AWS 3.6 22.6 - - - 0.4 - - - - 9.8 0.2 - - - - - - - - - - 0.4 12.0 12.0 10.6 14.2 -
    Nicholls (Gungahlin Lakes) 1.0 - - 1.4 0.5 - - - - - 2.4 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 26.5 13.0 0.5
    Torrens (Darke St) 14.0 - - - - - - - 9.2 - 1.0 - - - - - - - - - - - - 6.4 8.0 34.6 80.8 0.2
    Tuggeranong (Isabella Plains) AWS 31.6 0.4 - - - - - - 2.8 - 0.8 - - - - - - - - - - - - 2.8 8.8 13.4 81.6 0.2
    Most values are the precipitation in the 24 hours to 9 am on the day indicated. Days marked with → are part of a longer accumulation, which is shown on the final day.
    Values over 100 mm have been rounded to the nearest whole millimetre.
    Days marked with - have a rainfall report of zero; days left blank have no rainfall report (which often indicates no rain fell).
    Rainfalls coloured
    according to the amount    		 0 1.0 5.0 10.0 15.0 25.0 50.0 100 150 200 300 400 600 millimetres

    Extremes Maps Records Summaries Daily observations Important notes the top

    Notes

    The Monthly climate summary, generally published on the first working day of each month, lists the main features of the weather in Australian Capital Territory using the most timely and accurate information available on the date of publication; it will generally not be updated. More extensive discussion of significant weather events, along with later information and data that has had greater opportunity for quality control, will be presented in the Monthly Weather Review.

    This summary includes data from observing sites in or near the Australian Capital Territory “Greater Capital City Statistical Area” (GCCSA). The Australian Bureau of Statistics designed the GCCSAs to “include the population within the urban area of the city, as well as people who regularly socialise, shop or work within the city, and live in small towns and rural areas surrounding the city. It is important to note that GCCSAs do not define the built up edge of the city. They provide a stable definition for these cities and are designed for the output of a range of social and economic survey data.”

    This statement has been prepared based on information available at 8 am on Thursday 3 March 2022. Some checks have been made on the data, but it is possible that results will change as new information becomes available.

    In some situations, some or all of the rainfall is in the form of hail or snow. In these cases the totals given are for the water equivalent: the depth of liquid water that results from melting any frozen precipitation. There can be significant 'undercatch' of snow in strong winds, meaning the true precipitation can be higher than that reported.

    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.

    Where temperature area averages are mentioned, they are derived from the ACORN-SAT dataset.

    Further information

    Media
    (03) 9669 4057

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