Wednesday, 1 April 2020 - Monthly Climate Summary for Northern Territory - Product code IDCKGC12R0

Northern Territory in March 2020: Warmer and drier than average

Rainfall was below average in the north, and generally average to above averge in the southern half of the Northern Territory in March. Daytime and overnight temperatures were above average, but not dramatically so. The Top End and parts of the southwest were warmer than normal, but elsewhere temperatures were close to average.

Dry in the north, wet in the south

• Most of the northern half of the Territory had average to below average rainfall during March; apart from the southwest, much of the southern half had above average falls
• The rainfall in the south was associated with the passage of ex-TC Esther across the central NT, early in the month; some sites near the path of Esther had their highest March daily rainfall on record as a result
• Territory-wide, rainfall was 28% below the long-term March average
• For the year to date, rainfall across the NT is 1% below the long-term average
• For the wet season to date (1 October to 31 March), rainfall across the NT is 21% below the long-term average

Warm in the north and southwest, near-average elsewhere

• Much of the northern and southwest NT had above average daytime and overnight temperatures; away from these regions temperatures were close to average
• This temperature pattern broadly reflected the monthly rainfall pattern where the cooler temperatures were associated with areas that had above average rain while the drier regions had higher than normal temperatures
• Across the Territory, the mean monthly maximum temperature was 1.09 °C above the long-term average, while the mean minimum was 0.55 °C above average
• Some sites in the western Top End had their highest March temperature on record, while Rabbit Flat, in the Tanami District, had its coldest March day (lowest maximum temperature) on record, associated with heavy rain early in March
• For the year to date, the mean maximum temperature across the NT is 1.38 °C above the long-term average, while the mean minimum is 1.38 °C above average (second-highest on record, behind the +1.89 °C anomaly observed in the January to March period of 2019)
• For the wet season to date (1 October to 31 March), the mean maximum temperature across the NT is 2.08 °C above the long-term average (second-highest on record, behind the +2.68 °C anomaly observed during the same period in 2019), while the mean minimum is 1.32 °C above average (third-highest on record, wth the highest being the +1.97 °C anomaly observed in 2019). The mean temperature across the NT is tracking at 1.7 °C above the long-term average (second-highest on record, behind the +2.33 °C anomaly observed in 2019)

Darwin Airport

• Total rainfall for Darwin Airport was 270.8 mm, which is 86% of the long-term average of 314.2 mm
• The mean daily maximum temperature for Darwin Airport was 33.2 °C, which is 1.2 °C above the long-term average of 32.0 °C. The warmest day was 35.9 °C on the 30th, and the coolest day was on the 9th when the temperature reached 27.0 °C
• The mean daily minimum temperature for Darwin Airport was 25.4 °C, which is 0.8 °C above the long-term average of 24.6 °C. The coldest morning was 22.6 °C on the 15th, and the warmest morning was on the 14th when the minimum temperature was 27.7 °C

Alice Springs Airport

• Total rainfall for Alice Springs Airport was 44.4 mm, which is 143% of the long-term average of 31.0 mm
• The mean daily maximum temperature for Alice Springs Airport was 33.3 °C, which is 0.5 °C above the long-term average of 32.8 °C. The warmest day was 38.5 °C on the 29th, and the coolest day was on the 3rd when the temperature reached 19.8 °C
• The mean daily minimum temperature for Alice Springs Airport was 18.4 °C, which is 0.8 °C above the long-term average of 17.6 °C. The coldest morning was 15.1 °C on the 17th, and the warmest morning was on the 12th when the minimum temperature was 23.2 °C

Severe Weather during March

• Slow-moving, multicell thunderstorms moved over the northern Top End on 8 March, delivering heavy rainfall to Warruwi. A 2-hour rainfall observation of 83.4 mm had a less than 2% Annual Exceedance Probability (AEP) - roughly, a 1-in-50 year rainfall rate for that site
• Very heavy rainfall was observed across parts of the north-western Top End during 9 March. Darwin Airport recordered an hourly rainfall total of 80 mm, with an AEP of less than 10% (approximately 1-in-10 year rainfall rate). Rainfall caused local flash flooding and Rapid Creek, in suburban Darwin, briefly reach Minor Flood level. Point Fawcett, on the western tip of the Tiwi Islands, had 97 mm of rain in a 2-hour period, just above its 10% AEP rate
• A squall-line thunderstorm which passed over the western Top End on 14 March generated a severe wind gust of 94km/h at Darwin Harbour

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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Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top