Northern Territory July 2012 Monthly Weather Review Northern Territory July 2012

Monthly Weather Review Northern Territory July 2012 Monthly Weather Review Northern Territory July 2012 The Monthly Weather Review - Northern Territory is produced twelve times each year by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology's Northern Territory Climate Services Centre. It is intended to provide a concise but informative overview of the temperatures, rainfall and significant weather events in Northern Territory for the month. To keep the Monthly Weather Review as timely as possible, much of the information is based on electronic reports. Although every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of these reports, the results can be considered only preliminary until complete quality control procedures have been carried out. Major discrepancies will be noted in later issues. We are keen to ensure that the Monthly Weather Review is appropriate to the needs of its readers. If you have any comments or suggestions, please do not hesitate to contact us: By mail Northern Territory Climate Services Centre Bureau of Meteorology PO Box 40050 Casuarina NT 0811 AUSTRALIA By telephone (08) 8920 3813 By email [email protected] You may also wish to visit the Bureau's home page, http://www.bom.gov.au. Units of measurement Except where noted, temperature is given in degrees Celsius (°C), rainfall in millimetres (mm), and wind speed in kilometres per hour (km/h). Observation times and periods Each station in Northern Territory makes its main observation for the day at 9 am local time. At this time, the precipitation over the past 24 hours is determined, and maximum and minimum thermometers are also read and reset. In this publication, the following conventions are used for assigning dates to the observations made: Maximum temperatures are for the 24 hours from 9 am on the date mentioned. They normally occur in the afternoon of that day. Minimum temperatures are for the 24 hours to 9 am on the date mentioned. They normally occur in the early morning of that day. Mean temperatures are the average of the daily maximum and daily minimum temperatures. Daily rainfall is for the 24 hours to 9 am on the date mentioned. This means a significant fraction of the rain may have occurred on the previous calendar day. Monthly rainfall is for the period from 9 am on the last day of the previous month to 9 am on the last day of this month. Maximum daily wind gusts are in the 24 hours from midnight to midnight. Climatological values The climatological averages shown in the text and tables are generally long-term means based on observations from all available years of record, which vary widely from site to site. They are not shown for sites with less than 10 years of record, as they cannot then be calculated reliably. Climatological extremes are generally taken from available observations from all available years of record. The number of years can vary substantially from site to site. Copyright © Commonwealth of Australia 2012 This work is copyright. You may download, display, print and reproduce this material in unaltered form only (retaining this notice) for your personal, non-commercial use or use within your organisation. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, all other rights are reserved. Requests and inquiries concerning reproduction and rights should be addressed to Commonwealth Copyright Administration, Attorney General’s Department, Robert Garran Offices, National Circuit, Barton ACT 2600 or posted at http://www.ag.gov.au/cca. Product code IDCKGC12R1. Prepared on 24 August 2012. ISSN 1836-392X Cover photograph After sunset at Rockhampton Downs, Barkley Highway. Photograph by Gavin Heathertington-Tait, 19 July 2008. Used with permission. If you have a photo you think would make a good cover for the Monthly Weather Review, please contact us at the address above. Monthly Weather Review Northern Territory July 2012 Overview The sub-tropical ridge was the dominant climate Significant weather influence for July. Cool and dry southeast wind flow persisted across the Northern Territory. A series of Bush Fires high pressure systems moved across the continent Many fires occurred during the first week of July in with temperatures were notably cool, and no the Darwin-Daly District, threatening homes, and significant rainfalls were recorded. agricultural properties. On the 1st, a fire at Darwin River burnt 35 sq km of gamba grass near mango Extremes in July 2012 orchards and on the 6th, a fire near Dundee Beach destroyed 2 houses, a shed, shipping container, car Hottest day and trailer. (Highest daily maximum temperature) 36.4 °C at Ngukurr on the 13th Weather conditions again became hazardous for Warmest days on average wildfires over the western Top End in the last two (Highest mean daily maximum temperature) weeks of the month. On the 15th, a fire burnt 25 sq 32.6 °C at Middle Point AWS km of improved pasture and fencing near Corroboree Coolest days on average subdivision and a further 13 sq km of improved (Lowest mean daily maximum temperature) pasture was burnt near Beatrice Hill on the 17th. On 18.0 °C at Arltunga the 21st, a fire threatened homes and an industrial Coldest day estate in the Adelaide River town, destroying (Lowest daily maximum temperature) grassland and several old cars. On the 24th a fire 13.2 °C at Arltunga on the 2nd burnt 10 sq km of grassland at Point Stuart, Coldest night threatening a cashew farm at Opium Station, and on (Lowest daily minimum temperature) the 25th, a fire burnt 36 sq km of National Park −5.2 °C at Alice Springs Airport on the 7th vegetation in the Douglas Daly region. Coolest nights on average (Lowest mean daily minimum temperature) Synoptic summary −0.3 °C at Alice Springs Airport The month of July started with a high pressure Warmest nights on average system, centered over Western Australia, which (Highest mean daily minimum temperature) extended a ridge over the Australian Continent. Cool 22.9 °C at Cape Wessel and dry southeast wind flow persisted over the Warmest night Northern Territory until the 8th as the high moved (Highest daily minimum temperature) across the continent and into the Tasman Sea. A 25.4 °C at Cape Don on the 16th weak trough developed over the western border and Warmest on average overall propagated eastwards on the 9th with no significant (Highest mean temperature) rainfall recorded, due to the dry conditions at the 26.0 °C at Cape Don surface. Another high pressure systen developed Coolest on average overall over the southern Indian Ocean on the 13th and (Lowest mean temperature) moved eastwards. Cool and dry conditions again 9.4 °C at Alice Springs Airport persisted over the Territory until the 24th ahead of 9.4 °C at Kulgera another weak trough which developed to the west of Wettest overall the Territory. The pressure gradient eased, humidity (Highest total rainfall) and moisture returned until the 25th, mostly over 27.7 mm at Calvert Hills the Top End. Another intense high with associated Wettest day cool and dry southeastly developed over the Bight (Highest daily rainfall) towards the end of the month. 17.5 mm at Calvert Hills on the 8th Highest wind gust 78 km/h at Centre Island on the 5th page 1 Monthly Weather Review Northern Territory July 2012 Daily mean sea level pressure analyses 1 July 2012 2 July 2012 3 July 2012 4 July 2012 5 July 2012 6 July 2012 7 July 2012 8 July 2012 9 July 2012 10 July 2012 11 July 2012 12 July 2012 13 July 2012 14 July 2012 15 July 2012 16 July 2012 17 July 2012 18 July 2012 page 2 Monthly Weather Review Northern Territory July 2012 19 July 2012 20 July 2012 21 July 2012 22 July 2012 23 July 2012 24 July 2012 25 July 2012 26 July 2012 27 July 2012 28 July 2012 29 July 2012 30 July 2012 31 July 2012 page 3 Monthly Weather Review Northern Territory July 2012 Temperatures The mean temperature for Northern Territory in July 2012 was 16.8 °C, which is 1.16 °C below the long-term average. This was the highest mean temperature anomaly on record since July 1984. The warmest on average was Cape Don with 26.0 °C, followed by Jabiru Airport with 25.8 °C, and then Cape Wessel with 25.5 °C. The coolest on average were reported in Alice Springs Airport and Kulgera with 9.4 °C, followed by Curtin Springs with 9.9 °C, and then Yulara Aero with 10.0 °C New temperature records Record highest July daily maximum temperature Years New record Old record of record McArthur River Mine 35.4 on 13th 35.2 on 2nd in 2009 35 Ngukurr 36.4 on 13th 35.0 on 20th in 2008 20 Record lowest July daily minimum temperature Years New record Old record of record Kulgera −4.8 on 7th −4.7 on 15th in 1982 32 Record lowest July mean minimum temperature Years New record Old record of record Kulgera 0.2 1.1 in 1983 31 Yulara Aero 1.0 = 1.0 in 2002 25 Watarrka 2.0 2.2 in 2002 21 Record lowest July mean temperature Years New record Old record of record Kulgera 9.4 = 9.4 in 1983 31 Yulara Aero 10.0 11.1 in 1997 25 Watarrka 10.6 12.0 in 1997 21 page 4 Monthly Weather Review Northern Territory July 2012 Maximum temperatures Anomalies of mean daily maximum temperature in July 2012 The daily maximum temperatures were above average across the Darwin-Daly and over western parts of Roper-McArthur, elsewhere, the daily maximum temperatures were below average.

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