3-year trends to June 2014

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.

 

June 2014: normal weather

The daily weather log

Vintage machinery fair

Oil Engine’s Day Out

In four short  rainy spells, nights were very warm and days cool. Otherwise, the weather was normal but rather cloudy. There were eight rain days (normally six). The wettest had 17 mm, which is normal. Only nine mornings were frosty, when normally there are thirteen.

Weather log June 2014

Comparing June months

Most average values were near normal for June. However, the nights were warm, the daily temperature range narrow, and the skies cloudy. The month was not extremely wet and cloudy like June last year.
The total rainfall of 40.2 mm is in the 55th percentile, close to the average.. Taking rainfall totals for more than one month, only the 12-month and 15-month totals are serious shortages (7th percentile). The 3-month total (71 mm) is in the 12th percentile. Other totals have higher percentile values, and most totals for 36 months or more are above normal.

Climate June 2014


Data. Rainfall data is from Manilla Post Office, courtesy of Phil Pinch. Temperatures, including subsoil at 750 mm, and other data are from 3 Monash Street, Manilla.

Autumn 2014 cloudy with warm nights

Austral bluebells in autumn

Autumn bluebells

There were two severe cold spells in late March and early May. Days were several degrees colder than normal, and the daily temperature range was narrow. To compensate, there were three spells of very warm nights in early April, late April, and late May. The last of these also had warm days and lasted a fortnight.

Weather log autumn 2014

Rain fell on 23 days (twice the normal number), totalling 132.8 mm. Most of it (84.8 mm)  fell in the week beginning on the 24th of March. The autumn total is on the 125-year average, and in the 58th percentile.

In autumn seasons from 1999, this was equal warmest with 2007, but nights (11.8°) were by far the warmest, 1.3° above normal. The mean daily temperature range, at 14.1°, was the narrowest, and the percentage of cloudy days (48%) the highest. All these point to a more moist (maritime) climate than does the rainfall or the dew point.

Climate for autumn 2014


Data. Rainfall data is from Manilla Post Office, courtesy of Phil Pinch. Temperature, including subsoil at 750 mm, and other data are from 3 Monash Street, Manilla.

3-year trends to May 2014

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.

 

May 2014 cloudy with warm nights

The daily weather log

Yellow berries  on a White Cedar in May.

White Cedar in May

May began cold: the 3rd was the 2nd coldest May day of this century, at 11.7°. By the 6th, the 7-day mean temperature was more than four degrees below normal. Within a week, the weather became warm and, by the 25th, the 7-day mean was more than four degrees above normal. The night of the 26th (15.3°) was the 3rd warmest May night of the century. For the first time, May had no frosts at all, and more than half the mornings were cloudy (>4/8 cloud). There were five rain days, two more than usual.

Weather log May 2014

Comparing May months

Air temperatures and the dew point were not far from normal. However, as the second graph shows, they are higher than in May months of recent years, such as 2012. Skies were extraordinarily cloudy, but the subsoil temperature was no longer high.
The total rainfall of 18.2 mm is in the 33rd percentile for May. While this is well below the long-term average of 41 mm, it is on the average for the last 15 years. Taking rainfall totals for more than one month, only the two-month total (31 mm) is a serious shortage (9th percentile). The fifteen-month total (585 mm) is in the 12th percentile. Other totals have higher percentile values, and most totals for 36 months or more are above normal. Pools still survive in Greenhatch Creek.

Climate May 2014


Data. Rainfall data is from Manilla Post Office, courtesy of Phil Pinch. Temperatures, including subsoil at 750 mm, and other data are from 3 Monash Street, Manilla.