Tuesday, 1 September 2020 - Seasonal Climate Summary for Tasmania - Product code IDCKGC27R0

Tasmania in winter 2020: very dry in the north and west

A much drier than average winter for the north and west, however there was above average rainfall around Hobart, and kunanyi (Mount Wellington Pinnacle) had its wettest winter on record, largely due to heavy rainfall during 22-24 June. Days were warmer than average in most parts and a mixture of very cold nights and mild nights meant mean minimum temperatures were mostly typical for winter overall.

Drier than average in most parts

• Tasmania had about two-thirds of its typical winter rainfall in 2020; July was second-driest on record.
• It was the driest winter for the state since 2006 (2006 was the fifth-driest winter on record).
• Parts of the north-west were driest on record for winter, conversely, rainfall around Hobart was higher than usual thanks to heavy rainfall during 22-24 June which delivered more than double the monthly average for parts of the south-east.
• Numerous sites in the south-east had their highest winter daily rainfall on record and kunanyi (Mount Wellington Pinnacle) had its highest total winter rainfall on record.
• Year-to-date rainfall has been below average for much of the western half of the state and above average for parts of the east.

Warm days, some very cold nights

• Days were warmer than average except in the east where they were more typical for winter.
• There were record cold nights at some stations, but for winter as a whole, mean minimum temperatures were close to average for most areas.
• The mean maximum temperature was 0.30 °C above average, but cooler than the previous two winters.
• Tasmania's mean minimum temperature (2.82 °C) was almost equal to the long-term average for the state (2.77 °C), and was also colder than the previous two winters.
• Launceston woke to a few centimeters of snow on 5 August, a rare sight for northern Tasmania and likely the most significant snowfall there since 1921.
• Ouse Fire Station had their lowest winter mean daily maximum temperature on record.
• Some sites had their lowest winter temperature on record including King Island Airport, and Liawenee with 14.2 °C on 7 August, setting a new low temperature record for Tasmania.
• King Island Airport also had its lowest winter mean daily minimum temperature on record
• Year-to-date maximum temperatures are close to average while minimum temperatures have been warmer than average in most parts.

Hobart (Ellerslie Road)

• Total rainfall for Hobart (Ellerslie Road) was 199.6 mm, which is 125% of the long-term average of 160.0 mm.
• The mean daily maximum temperature for Hobart (Ellerslie Road) was 13.0 °C, which is 0.7 °C above the long-term average of 12.3 °C.
• The warmest day was 21.6 °C on 30 Aug, and the coolest day was on 10 Jul when the temperature reached 8.6 °C.
• The mean daily minimum temperature for Hobart (Ellerslie Road) was 5.3 °C, which is 0.3 °C above the long-term average of 5.0 °C.
• The coldest morning was 0.4 °C on 10 Aug, and the warmest morning was on 16 Jun when the minimum temperature was 12.5 °C.

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

Click on a map to show it full size in a pop-up window

* note: there are gaps in the historical record at this site, so it is possible a higher value has gone unreported

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top