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

Northern Territory in June 2020: Warm days and low rainfall

Daytime and overnight temperatures were above average across much of the Northern Territory in June. Rainfall was generally below average, with most rainfall confined to the northeastern Top End during the month.

Temperatures mostly above average, particularly in the north

• Territory-wide, the mean monthly maximum temperature was 1.3 °C above the long-term average. All parts of the NT had average or above average maximum temperatures, with the largest anomalies observed across the Top End and Carpentaria District
• Nearly all of the Top End and Carpentaria District had a mean monthly maximum temperature in the highest 10% of records; for the Top End (based on the area north of 15 °South), the mean maximum temperature in June 2020 was the fourth-highest on record
• Daily temperatures were well above average during the middle of June, with Darwin Airport having its highest June temperature on record on the 15th, with a maximum of 35.0 °C
• The mean minimum temperature in June was 0.39 °C above the long-term average for the NT. Much of the southern third of the Territory had a below average mean night-time temperature in June, but elsewhere it was mostly above the long-term average
• For the year to date, the NT had a mean maximum temperature just over a degree above average and a mean minimum temperature just below a degree above average: The year-to-date mean temperature of just over a degree above average is the 10th-highest for any January to June period on record for the NT

Below average rainfall

• Rainfall was confined to the northeastern Top End and the Darwin area during June; no rainfall was recorded elsewhere across the Northern Territory
• Averaged across the NT, rainfall in June was 98% below the long-term average, the lowest since 2006 and 10th-lowest June total on record. While rainfall totals are generally low in the month of June across the Northern Territory, parts of the southern NT have average rainfall up to 25 mm
• From 1 January to 30 June, rainfall across the Territory this year has been just below the long-term average. However, parts of the southern NT and the Top End had well below average rainfall in the first 6 months of 2020
• Related to the relatively dry conditions in the north, the official start of Northern Territory Fire Danger Period (based on the presence of fuel and seasonal conditions conducive to bushfire outbreaks) commenced on 26 June, slightly earlier than the regular 1 July date. During June, Bushfires NT reported many wildfires, a number of which caused significant damage to property

Darwin Airport

• Total rainfall for Darwin Airport was 1.0 mm, which is 59% of the long-term average of 1.7 mm
• The mean daily maximum temperature for Darwin Airport was 32.4 °C, which is 1.7 °C above the long-term average of 30.7 °C
• The warmest day was 35.0 °C on the 15th, a new daily record for June, and the coolest day was on the 4th when the temperature reached 30.3 °C
• The mean daily minimum temperature for Darwin Airport was 21.1 °C, which is 1.2 °C above the long-term average of 19.9 °C
• The coldest morning was 17.1 °C on the 5th, and the warmest morning was on the 16th when the minimum temperature was 23.4 °C
• Darwin had five nights in June when the minimum temperature fell below 20 °C. This compares to the June average of almost 13.5

Alice Springs Airport

• Total rainfall for Alice Springs Airport was 0 mm, compared to the the long-term average of 12.8 mm
• The mean daily maximum temperature for Alice Springs Airport was 20.6 °C, which is 0.7 °C below the long-term average of 19.9 °C
• The warmest day was 27.8 °C on the 13th, and the coolest day was on the 14th when the temperature reached 17.0 °C
• The mean daily minimum temperature for Alice Springs Airport was 2.9 °C, which is 2.1 °C below the long-term average of 5.0 °C
• The coldest morning was -0.9 °C on the 28th, and the warmest morning was on the 14th when the minimum temperature was 14.0 °C
• Alice Springs had five minimum temperatures below freezing; typically it experiences about 4 days below 0 °C during June

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