Tag Archives: arid

Rain came back in November 2013

Posted in Manilla NSW, Monthly weather by

The daily weather logWeather log November 2013

By November the 11th, there had been only 70 mm of rain since the deluge in June. The humidity had been getting lower by the month. From that day, rain and high humidity returned. Days and nights became cooler than normal, with more cloudy skies. Most of the seven wet days were showery, but the 29th had steady rain.

Comparing November monthsClimate November 2013.

The weather change on the 11th returned most monthly average values closer to normal. However, despite the rain, this was still an “Arid” month, with a record low November mean morning dew point, a wide daily temperature range, and few cloudy mornings. The mean subsoil temperature (23.8°) was 1.9° above normal, exceeded (in the 21st century) only by 24.7° in November 2002.
The total rainfall of 95.6 mm was in the 80th percentile, well above the average of 67 mm. This disposes of all serious shortages in rainfall totals. The worst figure now is the 5-month total of 166 mm, which is 56 mm below normal (19th percentile).

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.

Extremely Arid October 2013

Posted in Manilla NSW, Monthly weather by

October’s climate was even more desert-like than this September or October last year. Afternoon humidity (normally 30%) was only 13.1%, which is the lowest value in ANY month in the last eight years. The early morning dew point of 0.5° was the lowest October value this century, and 7.8° below normal, a record anomaly value for any month. This very dry air often came with strong winds. Most of north-west NSW was affected.

The daily weather logWeather log October 2013.

The second of two warm spells brought weekly temperatures three degrees above normal. Each warm spell ended with a night above 20°. Three mornings from the 25th were exceptionally dry, having dew points of minus 7.2°, minus 8.0°, and minus 7.6°. (The record: minus 9.3° on 17/5/11.)
There were three rain days: the 2nd with 13.8 mm, and the 18th and 30th with 0.6 mm each.

Comparing October monthsClimate October 2013.

October’s days were not quite as warm as in 2007. Dryness was marked by low rainfall, little cloud, and wide daily temperature range, but most remarkably by the record low dew point and relative humidity.
At 21.0°, the subsoil was warmer than in any other October month. It was 1.6° above normal.
The total rainfall of 15.0 mm was in only the 12th percentile, far below the average of 58 mm. The three and four month rainfall totals (41 mm; 71 mm) are now severe shortages, in the 3rd and 4th percentiles.

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.

Desert-like September 2013

Posted in Manilla NSW, Monthly weather by

September was an exceptionally arid month: like the Sahara Desert!

The daily weather logWeather log September 2013

Most days were warmer than normal, with the first 30-degree day of spring coming two weeks early, on Sunday the 8th. Weekly average temperatures showed two warm spells three degrees above normal. Half the mornings had completely blue skies. The air was extremely dry: the dew point early on the 12th was 6.3 degrees below zero, and all the afternoons of the final week had relative humidity below 10%.
Briefly, from the 16th to the 18th, the weather was cooler and more humid, with 19.4 mm of rain.

Comparing September monthsClimate September 2013.

Nearly all the monthly weather values were exceptional. As noted on the graph, they were record September values (from 1999): highest maximum and mean temperatures, widest daily temperature range, lowest dew point and fewest cloudy mornings. (The September daily minimum temperature had been higher: 9.7° in 2002, and 8.2° in 2010.)
The total rainfall of 19.4 mm is half the average of 41.2 mm. It is in the 28th percentile. The two and three month totals are now serious shortages, in the 6th percentile. The 24 month total (1508 mm) and 36 month total (2231 mm) are still very high.

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.

Arid October 2012

Posted in Manilla NSW, Monthly weather by

The daily weather logWeather log October 2012.

Many days this month had weather you might expect in a desert. Cold nights and warm days made the temperature range very wide. Very dry air sent morning dew points below zero several times.
Very cold cloudy weather on the 11th and 12th brought 11.2 mm of rain, but two cool cloudy spells later brought little more.

 Comparing October monthsClimate October 2012.

Nights, at 8.6°, were the coldest for October, 2.3° colder than average.
The mean morning Dew Point of 1.7° is an amazing low-humidity value for October, 6.6° below average! Low humidity brought less October cloud than seen since 2004.
The very low rainfall of 12.6 mm is in the 11th percentile for October. While rainfall totals for 12 months or more are all above normal, there has been little recent rain. The 2-month total (33 mm) is a serious rainfall shortage (9th percentile) and the 3-month total (44 mm) is a severe rainfall shortage (3rd percentile). Similar shortages of rainfall have developed in a broad band from Sydney to Perth.

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.