Monthly Weather Review Australia August 2020 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 2020 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 IDCKGC17R1. Prepared on 7 October 2020 Cover photograph A humpback whale reaches for the sky off Hervey Bay. Photograph by Pandora Hope, late August 2006. Used with permission. Overview • Australia's sixth-warmest August on record. Australia including south-east South Australia, • Mean maximum temperatures were warmer than western Victoria and the New South Wales average for much of the country, but cooler than Riverina. average for much of central New South Wales and • August rainfall was very much above average in close to average for the remainder of south-east the north-east South Australia, and adjacent Australia. south-west Queensland and north-east New South • Mean minimum temperatures were above average Wales, parts of the country's south-east coasts, for much of Western Australia, South Australia, and southern coasts of Western Australia. much of the Northern Territory, Gulf coast and • Rainfall was below average for parts of south-west south-west Queensland, eastern Tasmania, far Western Australia, about the South eastern Victoria and south-eastern New South Australia–Victoria border, and north-eastern Wales. Tasmania. • Mean minimum temperatures for the month were cooler than average over parts of south-east Areal averages in August 2020 Rainfall anomaly Mean maximum Mean minimum Mean temperature temperature anomaly temperature anomaly anomaly Australia +8% +1.56 °C +1.19 °C +1.38 °C 7th-highest 6th-highest Western Australia +6% +2.10 °C +1.41 °C +1.75 °C 6th-highest 5th-highest 4th-highest Northern Territory −28% +2.66 °C +1.57 °C +2.12 °C 3rd-highest 7th-highest South Australia +37% +0.88 °C +1.25 °C +1.07 °C 8th-highest Queensland −2% +1.38 °C +1.10 °C +1.24 °C 9th-highest New South Wales +24% −0.11 °C +0.48 °C +0.19 °C Victoria −10% +0.06 °C −0.15 °C −0.04 °C Tasmania −15% +0.27 °C +0.16 °C +0.22 °C 1 Monthly Weather Review - Australia - August 2020 Extremes in August 2020 Hottest day Coldest night Wettest day Warmest overall Coolest overall Wettest overall Strongest wind gust Australia 41.2 °C −14.2 °C 204.0 mm 27.8 °C −2.2 °C 386.0 mm 157 km/h at West Roebuck at Liawenee (Tas.) at Nowra Boat Shed at Mount Bundey at Thredbo AWS at Nowra Boat Shed at Wilsons (WA) on the 23rd on the 7th (Shoalhaven River) North (Defence) (NSW) (Shoalhaven River) Promontory (NSW) on the 8th (NT) (NSW) Lighthouse (Vic.) on the 27th Western 41.2 °C −2.9 °C 110.8 mm 27.2 °C 10.3 °C 241.4 mm 109 km/h Australia at West Roebuck at Salmon Gums at Karralea on the at Argyle at Wandering at Cheyne Beach at Cape (WA) on the 23rd Res.Stn. on the 8th 4th Aerodrome Naturaliste on the 9th Northern 39.5 °C −3.3 °C 9.5 mm 27.8 °C 16.8 °C 9.5 mm 76 km/h Territory at Bradshaw - at Arltunga on the at Maryvale on the at Mount Bundey at Yulara Airport at Maryvale at Cape Wessel Koolendong Valley 2nd 5th North (Defence) on the 31st (Defence) on the 21st South 29.7 °C −6.3 °C 44.4 mm 15.7 °C 7.4 °C 147.1 mm 91 km/h Australia at Nullarbor on the at Gluepot Reserve at Woodside at Oodnadatta at Mount Lofty at Piccadilly at Cape 29th (Gluepot) on the 5th (Inverbrackie) on the Airport (Woodhouse) Willoughby on 8th the 30th Queensland 36.4 °C −3.8 °C 78.0 mm 26.5 °C 9.8 °C 141.0 mm 83 km/h at Kowanyama at Oakey Aero on at Tully Sugar Mill at Horn Islandand at Applethorpe at Tully Sugar Mill at Bougainville Airport on the 21st the 24th and on the 3rd Weipa Aero Reef on the 29th Applethorpe on the and 30th 25th and Oakey Aero on the 25th New South 28.9 °C −11.3 °C 204.0 mm 16.8 °C −2.2 °C 386.0 mm 137 km/h Wales at Smithville AWS at Perisher Valley at Nowra Boat Shed at Byron Bay (Cape at Thredbo AWS at Nowra Boat Shed at Thredbo AWS on the 30th AWS on the 25th (Shoalhaven River) Byron AWS) (Shoalhaven River) on the 27th on the 8th Victoria 25.5 °C −7.9 °C 51.6 mm 12.3 °C −1.5 °C 272.8 mm 157 km/h at Mallacoota on at Mount Hotham at Wilsons at Cape Nelson at Mount Hotham at Mount Baw Baw at Wilsons the 30th on the 5th Promontory Lighthouse Promontory Lighthouse on the Lighthouse on the 22nd 27th Tasmania 22.9 °C −14.2 °C 82.8 mm 10.9 °C 0.6 °C 292.8 mm 156 km/h at Friendly Beaches at Liawenee on the at Gray (Dalmayne at larapuna at kunanyi (Mount at Lake Margaret at Hogan Island on on the 30th 7th Rd) on the 14th (Eddystone Point) Wellington Dam the 27th Pinnacle) 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 - August 2020 Significant weather Western Australia Victoria Heavy rainfall along the southern coast Winds and snow Early in August, a cold front and associated low Widespread heavy snow fell on the 4th in the Alpine pressure system produced widespread significant areas and to the lower levels, including at Mount rainfall along the state's south coast between the 3rd Macedon, the Otway Ranges and Dandenong and 6th, with heavier falls between 80 and 100 mm Ranges.