Monthly Weather Review Australia May 2019 The Monthly Weather Review - Australia is produced by the Bureau of Meteorology to provide a concise but informative overview of the temperatures, rainfall and significant weather events in Australia 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. Any major discrepancies will be noted in later issues. We are keen to ensure that the Monthly Weather Review is appropriate to its readers' needs. If you have any comments or suggestions, please contact us: Bureau of Meteorology GPO Box 1289 Melbourne VIC 3001 Australia [email protected] 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 Australia 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 the years 1961–1990. They are not shown for sites with less than 25 years of record in that time, as they cannot then be calculated reliably. Climatological extremes are generally taken from all available years of record; the number of years can vary markedly from site to site. Records The tables of records are not exhaustive, as they only show sites with at least 30 years of record. This may exclude locations where a new site has been established; this means even some major cities and towns may not be listed. Maps The temperature and rainfall maps are intended to give an overview of the country. There could be discrepancies between the values shown on these maps and those at individual locations, as a result of the way the maps are generated. A wide range of maps of rainfall, temperature and other variables, covering the whole country and smaller regions can be found at www.bom.gov.au/climate/maps. Accessing data Tables of daily values for selected sites are included toward the back of the Monthly Weather Review. Data from many more sites and for other times are available from www.bom.gov.au/climate/data/. Copyright © Commonwealth of Australia 2019 This work is copyright. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced without prior written permission from the Bureau of Meteorology. Requests and enquiries concerning reproduction and rights should be addressed to: Publishing Unit, Bureau of Meteorology, GPO Box 1289, Melbourne VIC 3001 Product code IDCKGC14R1. Prepared on 7 August 2019 Cover photograph A misty morning at Pump House Point on Lake St Clair. Photograph by Jen Coates, 19 May 2009. Used with permission. Overview • Warmer than average May for Australia Rainfall for May was below to very much below • Both mean maximum and minimum temperature average across most of Western Australia, from above average for large parts of the country, but central to southeast Queensland and along much of nights cooler than average for the southern half of the east coast of New South Wales. Western Australia Above average rainfall was recorded across much of • Rainfall for the month below to very much below the Northern Territory, far northern and southern average for most of Western Australia and along South Australia, areas of southern New South Wales, the east coast much of Victoria and western Tasmania. • Rainfall above average for much of the Northern Territory, Queensland's northern Peninsula, and Unusually late tropical activity in May led to the parts of coastal South Australia, Victoria, and inland development of two late-season tropical cyclones; Lili southern New South Wales in early May, north of the Top End, and Ann in mid- • Two late-season tropical cyclones: Lili and Ann May, which tracked from the Coral Sea and crossed Queensland's Cape York Peninsula as an ex-tropical low. Areal averages in May 2019 Rainfall anomaly Mean maximum Mean minimum Mean temperature temperature anomaly temperature anomaly anomaly Australia −43% +1.01 °C +0.21 °C +0.61 °C Western Australia −82% +1.89 °C −0.98 °C +0.46 °C 3rd-lowest 6th-highest Northern Territory +10% +0.49 °C +0.97 °C +0.73 °C South Australia −9% +0.72 °C −0.38 °C +0.17 °C Queensland −62% +0.42 °C +1.27 °C +0.85 °C New South Wales −36% +0.90 °C +0.95 °C +0.92 °C Victoria +36% +0.63 °C +0.71 °C +0.67 °C Tasmania 0% +0.34 °C +0.54 °C +0.44 °C 1 Monthly Weather Review - Australia - May 2019 Extremes in May 2019 Hottest day Coldest night Wettest day Warmest overall Coolest overall Wettest overall Strongest wind gust Australia 39.7 °C −9.8 °C 174.0 mm 28.9 °C 2.4 °C 967.2 mm 141 km/h at Mandora (WA) on at Glen Innes at Bellenden Ker at Coconut Island at Thredbo AWS at Bellenden Ker at Maatsuyker the 5th Airport AWS (NSW) Top Stn (Qld) on the (Qld) (NSW) Top Stn (Qld) Island Lighthouse on the 31st 23rd (Tas.) on the 13th and Hogan Island (Tas.) on the 29th Western 39.7 °C −3.4 °C 31.4 mm 28.6 °C 11.5 °C 75.8 mm 102 km/h Australia at Mandora on the at Southern Cross at Ellenbrae on the at Browse Island at Collie East at North Walpole at Cape Leeuwin 5th Airfield on the 19th 3rd on the 5th 27.0 mm Northern 37.6 °C −1.0 °C 69.8 mm 28.1 °C 16.0 °C 144.0 mm 76 km/h Territory at Bradshaw on the at Kulgera on the at Larrimah on the at Cape Wessel at Alice Springs at Alcan Minesite at Walungurru 1st 31st 4th Airport Airport on the 17th South 32.5 °C −1.1 °C 87.0 mm 17.6 °C 10.4 °C 199.2 mm 100 km/h Australia at Nullarbor on the at Yunta Airstrip on at Mambray Creek at Moomba Airport at Mount Lofty at Cherry Gardens at Cape 23rd the 16th (Bernie's Block) on Willoughby on the the 10th 29th Queensland 36.0 °C −6.9 °C 174.0 mm 28.9 °C 12.3 °C 967.2 mm 89 km/h at Century Mine on at Stanthorpe Leslie at Bellenden Ker at Coconut Island at Stanthorpe Leslie at Bellenden Ker at Arlington Reef the 2nd Parade on the 31st Top Stn on the 23rd Parade Top Stn on the 14th New South 29.9 °C −9.8 °C 99.0 mm 19.1 °C 2.4 °C 265.6 mm 124 km/h Wales at Wanaaring Post at Glen Innes at Thredbo AWS on at South West at Thredbo AWS at Perisher Valley at Thredbo AWS Office on the 2nd Airport AWS on the the 3rd Rocks (Smoky Cape AWS on the 1st 31st Lighthouse) Victoria 27.1 °C −6.4 °C 126.0 mm 14.8 °C 3.1 °C 324.0 mm 139 km/h at Mildura Airport at Mount Hotham at Falls Creek at Gabo Island at Mount Buller at Wyelangta at Wilsons on the 24th on the 30th (Rocky Valley) on Lighthouse and Promontory the 3rd Point Hicks Lighthouse on the (Lighthouse) 27th Tasmania 24.3 °C −5.2 °C 60.8 mm 13.7 °C 3.9 °C 500.2 mm 141 km/h at Flinders Island at Liawenee on the at Mount Read on at Swan Island at kunanyi (Mount at Mount Read at Maatsuyker Airport on the 1st 7th the 31st Wellington Island Lighthouse Pinnacle) on the 13th and Hogan Island on the 29th In this table Hottest day is the highest daily maximum temperature, Coldest night is the lowest daily minimum temperature, Wettest day is the highest daily rainfall total, Warmest overall is the highest mean monthly temperature, Coolest overall is the lowest mean monthly temperature and Wettest overall is the highest total monthly precipitation. 2 Monthly Weather Review - Australia - May 2019 Significant weather Strong winds and snow in New South Wales the 26th to the 30th, although only minor damage and some power outages were reported. The strongest Strong winds associated with the passage of a cold gust was 141 km/h at Hogan Island in Bass Strait, but front saw wind gusts up to 124 km/h at Thredbo AWS several exposed sites reported gusts well over on the 1st, and 122 km/h at Wattamolla AWS (in the 100 km/h.