Summer 2012-13 hot in parts

Weather log summer 2012-13Summer was marked by a heat wave in January, similar to that in November 2009. It was not quite so hot, except that the hottest day set a 21st century record of 43.2°. The season also began very hot, but there were other times that were very cool, especially in February.

Twelve days had exceptionally low humidity, below 10%, with a record low value of 4% on 11th January.
There were 22 rain days, which is normal.

In contrast to the very low temperatures last summer, this summer’s temperatures were normal. At 37% cloudy mornings, this summer was a bit cloudier than normal (31%). Morning dew points set a new summer record low of 12.2°, beating the record set last year.
The rainfall total of 260.6 mm beats the average of 228 mm. It is in the 65th percentile.Climate summer 2012-13.

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.

Droughty Spring 2012

Weather log Spring 2012.Temperatures rose as normal this spring, apart from a quick rise in the last week and a cold spell in the second week of October. In the cold spell, one day failed to reach 14°! Rain fell nearly every week, but never more than 15 mm in a day.

After last spring’s record-breaking 432 mm rainfall, this spring was about as droughty as spring 2002. The rainfall total, 81 mm, was a bit higher than in spring 2002 (66 mm) and the percent of cloudy mornings higher (25% vs. 19%), but the dew point (humidity) was much lower (3.7° vs. 5.4°) and the daily temperature range was higher (17.9° vs. 17.1°).
Showers in the last days lifted the total rainfall (81 mm) to the 10th percentile for springs.Climate spring 2012.

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.

November 2009 – Extreme Heat

The daily weather log

Weather log November 2009

November 2009 broke records for heat at any time of year in the last decade:
Highest daily maximum temperature: 42.6° on 20/11/09;
Highest daily minimum temperature: 27.8° on 22/11/09;
Highest weekly average: 31.3° for 17-23/11/09.
The daily maximum on the 20th was a record 13.5° above normal, and the daily minimum on the 22nd was one of only three nights over 13 degrees above normal.

 Comparing November months

Climate November 2009

Mean monthly temperatures were the highest on record for November: mean daily maximum 34.3° (5.2° above normal); mean daily mean 26.0° (4.6° above normal) mean daily minimum 17.8° (4.0° above normal). The early morning Dew Point (10.9°) was normal, but hot air brought the Relative Humidity down.
Rainfall of 33.4 mm recorded on the 9th was welcome, but little fell later. In all, five rain days totalled 40.0 mm. This total is low: in the 28th percentile for November. Most totals for more than one month are fairly good but a severe shortage (3rd percentile) affects the 9-month total (266 mm).


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

 

August 2009 HOT and dry

The daily weather log

Weather log August 2009

Nearly all the days of August were warmer than normal. While half the nights were cold, some others were very warm. A regional heat wave struck from the 22nd to the 25th, setting records for exceptionally high temperature at Manilla and many other places. The maximum on the 23rd (31.8°) was 11.4° above normal, beating +10.5° set on 11/10/02. The minimum on the morning of the 25th (18.2°) was 14.0° above normal, beating +13.1° set on 23/9/03.
Sixteen minimum temperatures qualified as frosts (usually 15) but the coldest was no lower than -1.4°. Dew Points were low, often far below the air temperature, making the air unpleasantly dry.
Very light rain fell on four days, to a total of 6.8 mm. By the end of the month, there had been forty days without 5 mm of rain.

 Comparing August months

Climate August 2009

Mean daily maximum, mean, and minimum temperatures were far above normal for the month, by 3.1°, 2.5°, and 1.7° respectively. It was the warmest August in the 11-year record, and more than 4° warmer than the previous August (2008).
Manilla is very short of rain. Serious shortages (below the 10th percentile) are found not only in the August total (7 mm) but in totals for the 2, 3, 4, and 5 months to date. Worse, the 6-month total (145 mm) is a severe shortage (in the 4th percentile): it is 163 mm less than the median 6-month rainfall (308 mm). Rainfall totals for longer periods are good. The worst is the 8-year total that includes the 2002 drought: it is in the 24th percentile.


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