Monday, 3 September 2018 - Seasonal Climate Summary for Tasmania - Product code IDCKGC27R0

Tasmania in winter 2018: wet in the west, dry in the east, warm for winter

Frequent westerly winds during July and August brought above-average rain to western Tasmania, but it was relatively dry on the East Coast. Temperatures were above average across the State.

Wet in the west, dry in the east

• Westerly winds and cold fronts were common, especially during July and August
• Rainfall was above average in western and central Tasmania and parts of the northeast, with some areas in the western highlands recording very much above average totals
• Derwent Bridge had its wettest winter on record with 690.8 mm
• Rainfall was below average for much of the East Coast
• Mount Read in the western highlands had total rainfall of 1426 mm for winter, whilst Grindstone Point on the East Coast had only 72.8 mm
• Tasmania's total winter rainfall was 22.5 % above average - considerably wetter than winter 2017 but much drier than winter 2016

Mild for winter

• It was a relatively mild winter across Tasmania, with the State's mean temperature 0.26 °C above average; considerably warmer than winter 2017 but cooler than winter 2016
• Maximum temperatures were above average in June and July, but average in August; the State's winter mean maximum temperature was 0.28 °C above average
• Especially in the east, there were fewer particularly cold days than is usual for the time of year
• Most areas had their coldest day of winter in the second half of August
• Minimum temperatures were close to average in June, above average in July and just below average in August; overall the State's winter mean minimum temperature was 0.24 °C above average
• Several locations recorded their lowest temperatures in the second half of August, with Mount Read and King Island both recorded their lowest temperature on record

Strong winds, high tides and flooding

• Strong and gusty winds associated with cold fronts and low pressure systems caused damage several times during winter, especially during July and August
• Exposed locations recorded some very strong gusts: Winds on Hogan Island reached 150 km/h on 29 July and 163 km/h at Maatsuyker Island on 15 August
• Low atmospheric pressure and strong onshore winds, coupled with high astronomical tides, caused localised inundation during August
• Upper soil layers in many areas became very wet as winter progressed, meaning rainfall from cold fronts frequently led to river rises and minor flooding in several catchments many times during July and August

Hobart (Ellerslie Road)

• Total rainfall for Hobart (Ellerslie Road) was 142.8 mm, which is 89% of the long-term average of 159.6 mm
• Rain was recorded on 46 days, close to the winter average of 45 days
• The mean daily maximum temperature for Hobart (Ellerslie Road) was 13.3 °C, which is 1.0 °C above the long-term average of 12.3 °C. The warmest day was 17.9 °C on 17 Jul, and the coolest day was on 19 Aug when the temperature reached 9.0 °C
• Hobart had only 8 days where the temperature did not reach 10 °C compared to a long-term winter average of about 18 such cold days
• The mean daily minimum temperature for Hobart (Ellerslie Road) was 5.5 °C, which is 0.5 °C above the long-term average of 5.0 °C. The coldest morning was 0.6 °C on 20 Aug, and the warmest morning was on 4 Jul when the minimum temperature was 10.8 °C
• The minimum temperature dropped below 2.0 °C on 3 days, well below the winter average of 11 days

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