Category Archives: 3-year climate trends

3-year trends to July 2014

Posted in 3-year climate trends, Manilla NSW by

Parametric plots of smoothed climate variables at Manilla
“July 2014 dry again”

Trends to July 2014

 July data (orange)

Most raw anomaly values for July have now moved back to be like the smoothed values during the summer drought. Very few of the partially-smoothed values during the last few months suggested a trend in this direction.

Fully smoothed data (red)

January 2014 is now the latest fully-smoothed data point. Through November, December and January all variables moved decisively away from drought, except for rainfall and daily minimum temperature. In those months, rainfall remained near a (drought) minimum. Daily minimum temperature (which has a cryptic relation to drought) increased, bringing very warm nights in autumn.

Note:

Fully smoothed data – Gaussian smoothing with half-width 6 months – are plotted in red, partly smoothed data uncoloured, and raw data for the last data point in orange. January data points are marked by squares.
Blue diamonds and the dashed blue rectangle show the extreme values in the fully smoothed data record since September 1999.

Normal values are based on averages for the decade from March 1999. They appear on these graphs as a turquoise (turquoise) circle at the origin (0,0). A range of anomalies called “normal” is shown by a dashed rectangle in aqua (aqua). For values in degrees, the assigned normal range is +/-0.7°; for cloudiness, +/-7%; for monthly rainfall, +/-14 mm.

 

3-year trends to June 2014

Posted in 3-year climate trends, Manilla NSW by

Parametric plots of smoothed climate variables at Manilla
“Climate normal for now”

Trends to June 2014

 June data (orange)

Raw anomaly values for June 2014 have nothing in common with the droughty conditions at the end of 2013. Daily maximum temperature and rainfall (top left graph) are both normal. A return to a moist climate, like that in spring 2011, shows as cloudy skies (top right), high dew point (mid left), and narrow temperature range (mid right). Daily minimum temperature (lower left) has moved independently to a high value (that is, very warm nights). Only subsoil temperature (lower right) has jumped back to warm 2013 values, after a period of normalcy.

Fully smoothed data (red)

December 2013 is now the latest fully-smoothed data point. It seems to mark the point of lowest rainfall and dew point anomalies in recent months. In other variables (except daily minimum temperature) December continued a retreat from recent extreme (drought) values.

Note:
Fully smoothed data – Gaussian smoothing with half-width 6 months – are plotted in red, partly smoothed data uncoloured, and raw data for the last data point in orange. January data points are marked by squares.
Blue diamonds and the dashed blue rectangle show the extreme values in the fully smoothed data record since September 1999.

Normal values are based on averages for the decade from March 1999. They appear on these graphs as a turquoise (turquoise) circle at the origin (0,0). A range of anomalies called “normal” is shown by a dashed rectangle in aqua (aqua). For values in degrees, the assigned normal range is +/-0.7°; for cloudiness, +/-7%; for monthly rainfall, +/-14 mm.

 

3-year trends to May 2014

Posted in 3-year climate trends, Manilla NSW by

Parametric plots of smoothed climate variables at Manilla
“Drought status not clear”

Trends to May 2014

May data (orange)

Raw data for May 2014 give mixed signals on whether the drought is fading. Daily maximum temperature is now on the high limit of the normal range and rainfall again well into the “drought” range. However, other variables do not agree: skies were very cloudy, and dew point and daily temperature range were back to normal.

Fully smoothed data (red)

The spring months (SON) of 2013 are now fully smoothed, with some variables showing a drought peak in that season.
Smoothed daily maximum temperature anomaly peaked in October, reaching a record high of +1.39°, beating +1.34° in November 2009 and +1.30° in September-October 2002. Through spring the smoothed rainfall anomaly decreased; it may have reached a minimum in January. Dew point also decreased, the smoothed anomaly reaching a new record low of -4.85° in November, and likely to reach a minimum in December.
Cloudiness reached a minimum in October, and daily minimum temperature and subsoil temperature anomalies had reached maximum values earlier, in July.

Note:
Fully smoothed data – Gaussian smoothing with half-width 6 months – are plotted in red, partly smoothed data uncoloured, and raw data for the last data point in orange. January data points are marked by squares.
Blue diamonds and the dashed blue rectangle show the extreme values in the fully smoothed data record since September 1999.

Normal values are based on averages for the decade from March 1999. They appear on these graphs as a turquoise (turquoise) circle at the origin (0,0). A range of anomalies called “normal” is shown by a dashed rectangle in aqua (aqua). For values in degrees, the assigned normal range is +/-0.7°; for cloudiness, +/-7%; for monthly rainfall, +/-14 mm.

 

3-year trends to April 2014

Posted in 3-year climate trends, Manilla NSW by

Parametric plots of smoothed climate variables at Manilla
“Are we coming out of drought?”

Trends to April 2014

After a very cool moist March, raw values of climate anomalies for April 2014 are nearly all back near the (slightly smoothed) values for February. However, neither month was as hot or dry as December or January.
Fully-smoothed values for October 2013 show the deepening drought. That month set a new 21st century record for smoothed daily maximum temperature anomaly of +1.39°, beating the value of +1.35° set in November 2009. It also set a new low record for dew point anomaly of -4.53°, far more arid than the record set the previous month: -3.53°.
These curves show clearly that the climate (at this site) consistently became warmer and drier through the two years from spring 2011 to spring 2013, except for a brief time of reversal in the six warm-season months from October 2012 to March 2013.

Note:
Fully smoothed data – Gaussian smoothing with half-width 6 months – are plotted in red, partly smoothed data uncoloured, and raw data for the last data point in orange. January data points are marked by squares.
Blue diamonds and the dashed blue rectangle show the extreme values in the fully smoothed data record since September 1999.

3-year trends to March 2014

Posted in 3-year climate trends, Manilla NSW by

Parametric plots of smoothed climate variables at Manilla

“Plunge toward ‘flooding rains’ *“Trends to March 2014.

Raw values of climate anomalies for March 2014 are nearly all in the bottom left corner “flooding rains” after months in the opposite corner “droughts”. Daily minimum temperature remains high: nights are warm.
Fully-smoothed values for September 2013 show that the drought was becoming as severe as in 2002. The dew point anomaly reached a new record low value of -3.94°.

* By arrangement with the Licensor, The Dorothea Mackellar Estate, c/- Curtis Brown (Aust) Pty Ltd.

Note: Fully smoothed data – Gaussian smoothing with half-width 6 months – are plotted in red, partly smoothed data uncoloured, and raw data for the last data point in orange. January data points are marked by squares. Blue diamonds and the dashed blue rectangle show the extreme values in the fully smoothed data record since September 1999.