Annual Meteorological Summary at Ferny Grove for 2020: Warm nights, record hot days and low rainfall

Temperature

Annual mean minimum temperature: 15.6 ºC, 0.6 ºC above average and 0.1 ºC higher than 2019. This is the second highest on record and the highest since the current record high of 15.7 ºC in 2010.

Annual mean maximum temperature: 27.3 ºC, 0.8 ºC above average and 0.8 ºC lower than 2019. This is the sixth highest on record and the lowest 26.7 ºC in 2015.

Annual mean temperature: 21.4 ºC, 0.6 ºC above average and 0.4 ºC lower than in 2019. This is the second highest on record and the lowest since 20.9 ºC in 2018.

Lowest temperature: 4.2 ºC on 25 August 2020 at 6:16 AM. Same month in 2019 was 6.2 ºC and the lowest temperature in 2019 was 4.4 ºC.

Highest temperature: 37.6 ºC on 3 February 2020 at 12:38 PM. The same month in 2019 was 36.7 ºC and the highest temperature in 2019 was 42.8 ºC. This is the second highest monthly daily maximum temperature for February on record, the highest since the current record high of 40.5 ºC in 2017 on 12 February at 1:06 PM.

Lowest maximum temperature: 15.6 ºC on 23 May 2020 at 8:55 AM. This is the lowest monthly maximum daily temperature for May on record, exceeding the previous record low of 17.7 ºC in 2013 on 16 May at 12:20 AM. For 2020 this is the lowest daily lowest maximum temperature since 14.2 ºC on 21 June 2013 at 12:00 AM. This month in 2019 was 28.0 ºC and in 2019 was 16.3 ºC.

Highest minimum temperature: 26.2 ºC on 7 December 2020 at 4:28 AM. This is the highest daily minimum temperature on record for December exceeding the previous record high of 24.5 ºC in 2012 on 18 December 2020 at 4:00 AM. Same month in 2019 was 26.2 ºC and the highest minimum temperature in 2019 was 25 ºC.

In 2020 the month mean minimum temperatures saw 5 months that were within 0.5 ºC of the long term average (March, April, May, October and November) and the remaining months were above average. Many of the other months measuring above average mean minimum temperatures were at least 1 ºC above average that peaked at 1.8 ºC above average in December. 3 of the 5 months that were at least 1 ºC above average occurred In July, August, and September. Monthly maximum temperatures were near average during 7 of the months and no months were below the long term average. The months that were near average (within 0.5 ºC of the long term average) was February, March, May, July, September, November and December. The 5 months that were above average were 2.7 ºC above average in April, 1.5 ºC above average in January, 1.3 ºC above average in August, 1.2 ºC above average in August and 1.1 ºC above average in July. During the year mean monthly temperatures were above average during most months except for March equalling the long term average and November at 0.1 ºC below average. Many months were around 1 ºC above average that peaked at 1.4 ºC above average in January.

At the start of the year were mostly above average maximum temperatures during two extended periods in the first 11 days and last 12 days of the month. During most of January overnight temperatures were above average and persisted during February that was above average for 11 nights in a row from the 8th. The lowest monthly temperature observed were the highest since 2010 for both January and February. Near average daytime temperatures were present in the first half of February before hot days during most of the remainder of the month that was as much as 6 ºC above average. Autumn started with warm nights in the first week of March before below average temperatures during the rest of March that was interspersed with warmer nights. Daytime temperatures continued to remain mixed with several spells of around a week at a time of both cool and hot days. April started with many warm nights that generally gave way to below average overnight temperatures, whilst daytime temperatures saw very few cool days that peaked at 8 ºC above average and overall daytime temperatures were the highest on record. May saw generally above average daytime temperatures though later in the month were several cool to cold days falling to 9 ºC below average on the 23rd, while overnight temperatures were mixed with the lowest temperature being the highest on record.

Overnight temperatures in winter began with two cool periods in June along with a 11-day spell of above average temperatures. While there were some cool nights in July and August there were comparatively fewer cool nights with a strong presence of warm nights. Daytime temperatures in winter were also predominately warm with several extended warm periods throughout the season. Most of the first 18 days of June were above average and during winter cool days were only observed during a few days in a month.

Spring started with a continuation of the lack of cool nights that mostly occurred during the end of the month that continued in October and the coolest night was record high, though the first half of the month saw near average or cooler nights. November saw more dominance in near average or cool temperatures and brought down the mean maximum temperature to slightly below average. September daytime temperatures were mixed with 7 days in a row of cool days from the 7th. Warmer days returned in October that saw very few cool days though several days were close to average and most of the first half of the month was above average. Spring finished with a near average mean temperature for November that was cool followed by warmer temperatures in the second half of the month. Warmer nights returned to December and overall saw the highest anomaly from the long term average, though eased back to near average during most of the last 11 nights of 2020. Daytime temperatures in December were mixed with many days in the middle of the month cooler than normal that fell to 9 ºC below average.

Annual mean minimum grass temperature: 14 ºC (0.3 ºC higher than 2019).

Lowest annual minimum grass temperature: 3.3 ºC on 25 August 2020 (0.7 ºC lower than same month in 2019). This coincided with the lowest minimum air temperature of 4.2 ºC for the month.

Highest Annual minimum grass temperature: 24.7 ºC on 23 January 2020 (3.4 ºC lower than same month in 2019). This coincided with the highest minimum air temperature of 24.4 ºC for the month.

Highest annual minimum grass temperature depression: 4.9 ºC on 24 August 2020 with a minimum grass temperature of 6 ºC and an air temperature of 10.9 ºC.

Lowest minimum grass temperature depression: -2.4 ºC on 13 December 2020 with a minimum grass temperature of 20.5 ºC and an air temperature of 18.1 ºC.

Mean sea level pressure

Annual Mean Minimum Pressure: 1014.4 hPa (0.9 hPa lower than 2019).

Annual Mean Maximum Pressure: 1019.1 hPa (1 hPa lower than 2019).

Annual Mean Pressure: 1016.8 hPa (1 hPa above average) and 0.9 hPa lower than 2019

Lowest Annual MSL Pressure: 1002 hPa on 19 August 2020 at 2:56 PM. The same month in 2019 saw 1005.6 hPa and 998.2 hPa was observed in 2019. For the year this is the second highest annual pressure and the highest since the current record high of 1005 hPa in 2009 on the 27 June

Highest Annual MSL Pressure1031.3 hPa on 18 June 2020 at 9:19 AM. The same month in 2019 saw 1032.0 hPa and the highest pressure in 2019 was 1032 hPa.

Relative humidity

Annual Mean Minimum Relative Humidity: 48.2% (11 % higher than in 2019 and 1.9 % below average).

Annual Mean Maximum Relative Humidity: 91.4% (8.3% higher than 2019 and 1.2 % above average). This is the highest on record since 91.4 % in 2015.

Annual Mean Relative Humidity: 69.8 % (6.7 % lower than 2019 and 0.4 % below average).

Lowest Annual Humidity: 12 % on 27 September 2020 at 1:59 PM (6% higher than this month in 2019 and 11% higher than 2019). This is the second lowest monthly minimum humidity for September on record and the lowest since the current record low of 6 % in 2019 on 4 September at 3:30 PM.

Highest Annual Humidity: 99 % on 7 March 2020 at 6:52 AM (1 % lower than this month in 2019 and compared to 2019). This is the second highest monthly March maximum humidity on record. This is the lowest annual humidity on record equalling the current record low of 99% in 2016 on 29 January at 6:30 AM.

Dew point

Seasonal mean minimum dew point: 12.4 ºC (0.1 ºC below average).

Seasonal mean maximum dew point: 17.9 ºC (0.7 ºC above average). This is the equal highest annual mean maximum dew point on record and the equal highest since 17.9 ºC in 2017.

Seasonal mean dew point: 15.1 ºC (0.3 ºC above average).

Lowest dew point: -5.3 ºC on 27 September 2020 at 2:00 PM. This is the second lowest monthly minimum dew point for September on record and the lowest since the current record low of -11.6 ºC in 2019 on 9 September at 1:30 PM. For the year this is the second lowest dew point and the lowest since the current record low of -13.2 ºC on 20 August 2019 at 2:19 PM.

Highest dew point: 25.7 ºC on 7 March 2020 at 8:38 AM.

Wind

Maximum Annual Wind Gust: 62 km/hr on 28 October 2020 at 3:01 PM. The maximum wind gust this month in 2019 was 46 km/hr and 2019 was 64 km/h. Annually this is the second lowest wind gust on annual basis and the lowest since the current record low of 52 km/hr in 2011 on 10 September at 3:43 PM.

Maximum Annual Wind Speed: 28 km/hr on 3 May 2020 at 10:50 AM (Moderate Force Wind). This is the lowest annual wind speed exceeding the previous record low of 33 km/hr in 2019 on 5 November at 1:45 PM. In 2019 this was 33 km/hr.

Annual Wind Run: 36635.3 km (4628.1 km lower than 2019), 7143.6 km/hr above average and 24.2 % above average. This is the second highest on record and the highest since the current record high of 41263.4 km in 2019.

Annual Mean Wind Speed: 4.1 km/hr (0.6 km lower than 2019), 0.5 km/hr above average and 14.2 % above average. This is the second highest on record annually and the highest since the current record high of 4.7 km/hr in 2019.

Daily Mean Maximum Wind Gust: 25.8 km/hr (1.6 km/hr lower than 2019), 3.2 km/hr above average and 12.4 % above average. This is the lowest daily mean maximum wind speed on record since 23.7 km/hr in 2012.

Daily Mean Maximum Wind Speed: 13.3 km/hr, 0.6 km/hr lower than this month last year, 4 km/hr above average and 30.1 % above average. This is the second lowest daily mean maximum wind speed on record and the lowest since the current record low of 13 km/hr in 2012.

Dominant Direction: SE (E this season in 2019).

Rainfall

Rainfall total: 1135.5 mm, 53 mm above average (104.4% of long term average). This ranks as decile 6/ 55th percentile and as average. 2019 rainfall was 581 mm. Automatic rain gauge was 961.4 mm (-15.3 % of manual gauge).

Highest daily rainfall total: 93.9 mm on 7 February 2020.

Number of rain days (0.1 mm or greater): 122 days, 7 greater than 2019 and 15 days above average.

Highest rainfall rate: 261.8 mm/hr on the 25 October 2020 at 2:14 PM. This rainfall rate for October exceeded the previous record high of 261.3 mm/hr in 2018 on 21 October at 4:24 PM. Annually this is the second highest daily and annual rainfall rate and the highest since the current record high of 248.4 mm/hr in 2016 on 12 November at 3:41 PM.

Highest hourly rainfall: 40.6 mm on the 6 March 2020 at 5:47 PM. This is the highest hourly rain for March, exceeding the previous record of 36.3 mm in 27 March 2018 at 12:10 PM.

There were 26 thunderstorms, with 33 days with thunder, along with 11 nearby thunderstorms.

2020 started with wet conditions with January rainfall above average because of showers and thunderstorms with some heavy falls. Rainfall in February was more than double the long term with rainfall observed during 20 days with a total of 389.2 mm of rainfall (the highest for February since 1995). February saw a 11 day wet spell ending on the 14th with frequent showers, thunderstorms and rain throughout the month. Autumn started with March observing near average rainfall with 15 rain days with a continuation of showers and thunderstorms in the first half of the month. A severe thunderstorm on 6 March brought 40 mm in 30 minutes. April and May rainfall however was below average with May being the lowest for May since 2004 and most rainfall was comprised of light showers. For the start of winter, June rainfall was near average with the number of rain days 5 days above average which saw showers with some brief heavy falls in the middle of the month. July rainfall as 50 % above average with a total of 50.4 mm (the highest since 2012) with light showers and rain in the middle of the month followed by further light falls between the 24th and 26th. This was accompanied with a gust front on the 26th with a coastal trough bringing moist onshore flow later in the month.

Rainfall returned to below average in August that was 40.9 % of the long-term average whilst ranking historically as average. Rainfall in August only occurred on 3 days with rainfall on the 7th associated with the passage of a cold front. September rainfall was below average but ranked historically as average with low daily rainfall totals. Rainfall for October however was above average with a total of 119.5 mm with an active period of showers, rain and thunderstorms. A severe thunderstorm brought 14 mm of rainfall in 8 minutes and marble size hail on the 25 October during a series of severe thunderstorm across the region later in the month. Thunder was heard for 2 hours on 3 October. November was again record low exceeding the record low of 14.2 mm in 2019 with a total of 4.7 mm (4.9% of the long-term average). Whilst there was some thunderstorm activity in the region most rainfall occurred from the edge of two thunderstorms on 17 November. Another active period occurred between the 7th and 18th of December that brought a near average rainfall total, with mostly dry conditions during the rest of the month. The rainfall total in December was the second highest on record (record high is 450.1 mm in December 2010).

Long period rainfall at Ferny Grove in 2020 improved from the large deficiencies in 2019 but remain below or well below average for periods longer than 12 months and was near or above average for 6, 9 and 12 months. This is a consequence of an on-going multiple year trend of below average rainfall beginning in late 2017.

Other

January

There were 2 days of morning dew.

Smoke haze was observed on 6 days (in first 11 days of the month); a significant reduction in past months due to the bushfire weather conditions.

A very settled weather pattern in the first 10 days of the month. A much more active pattern developed from mid-month with coastal troughs followed by an upper level trough drawing moisture across the state aided by a tropical low pressure system and surface trough further inland.

Low humidity occurring during the previous several months was not present in these more typical conditions in January. Large rainfall deficiencies eased to some degree with the above average rainfall and are no longer in the lowest 20% of records.

For January there were 3 existing records exceeded or equalled, along with 6 records that was highest/lowest in at least 5 years.

February

There were 8 days of morning dew.

Warm and sunny in the first several days of the month before

Persistent surface troughs further inland along with a strengthening coastal trough near the southern Queensland coast brought an active period of showers and thunderstorms with some heavy falls from the 4th to the 14th. This brought many cool and cloudy days.

Warmer weather later in the month with showers and thunderstorms continuing during the rest of the month unstable conditions remained aided by moist onshore winds along the coast.

Following rain in January and in this month rainfall deficiencies in the short term of 6 to 12 months have improved further and was above average.

For February there were 6 existing records exceeded or equalled, along with 7 records that was highest/lowest in at least 5 years.

March

There were 13 days of morning dew.

Warm and sunny at the start of the month before cloudy skies between the 6th and 13th with cool days and rainfall. Later in the month with some further showers and with some more cloudy and cool days.

A high pressure ridge and onshore winds along the southern Queensland was present during much of the month. The rainfall in the first half of the month was as a result of a persistent inland surface trough aided by moist onshore winds.

Short term rainfall totals of 6 to 12 monthly rainfall totals improved a little further and is above average after the third month of near or above average rainfall totals.

For March there were 10 existing records exceeded or equalled, along with 7 records that was highest/lowest in at least 5 years.

April

There were 25 days of morning dew.

The passage of surface troughs brought little rainfall with dry air following with fine weather and sunny skies. High pressure ridges brought some showers but otherwise fine weather generally.

Short term rainfall totals deteriorated over all timespans caused by the low rainfall, became below average and is well below average for the longer timespans of between 12 month and 48 months.

For April there were 6 existing records exceeded or equalled, along with 5 records that was highest/lowest in at least 5 years.

May

There were 5 days of morning dew.

The weather was dominated by onshore winds from high pressure system moderating the temperatures. A complex low pressure system extended a trough that brought some rain on the 21st followed by a cold and dry air mass that brought cool to cold temperatures on the 22nd to 24th. The maximum temperature on the 23rd was a new record low for May.

Long period rainfall totals deteriorated further over all timespans due to continued below average rainfall. 6 monthly rainfall remained above average but was below average for 9 monthly to 48 monthly with the lowest being 368 mm below average for 18 month rainfall.

For May there were 7 existing records exceeded or equalled, along with 6 records that was highest/lowest in at least 5 years.

June

There were 8 days of morning dew.

Morning mist on 7th and 15th.

The weather was dominated by high pressure ridges extending little wind or onshore winds with warm days and warm nights throughout the month. A warm and moist air mass on the 14th brought a record warm morning and also produced showers. A cool and dry air mass was in place between the 22nd and 26th that was followed by the passage of a trough and cold front and this brought sunny dry weather with cool nights, which was accompanied with some overnight wind that slowed the temperature falling overnight.

Long period rainfall totals over the shorter timespans improved slightly with the near median rainfall in June but the longer timespans have remained the same or deteriorated further given past months has seen below average rainfall totals. 6 monthly rainfall remained above average but was below average for 9 monthly to 48 monthly, with the greatest being 18 monthly rainfall at 285.5 mm below average.

For June there were 5 existing records exceeded or equalled, along with 5 records that was highest/lowest in at least 5 years.

July

There were 7 days of morning dew.

Several days of smoke haze in the first week of the month.

Gusty NNW to WSW winds with the apparent temperature several degrees below the air temperature on the 14th.

There was an absence of clear calm nights which prevented the temperature falling throughout the night to become cold before sunrise. On many nights, the wind persisted which resulted in a slow fall in the temperature or the minimum temperature occurring during the middle of the night before warming before sunrise.

During much of the month the weather was influenced by high pressure extending a cool and dry air mass with settled weather. More cloud and rainfall than typical and resulting warm nights were caused by several frontal system that moved thorough. A high pressure ridge and onshore flow from the 9th gave way to the passage of the cold front followed by a upper level trough which cleared on the 12th. A low pressure system deepened off the southern New South Wales and extend dry flow of west to south-westerly winds on the 13th and 14th. A decaying upper trough followed by the passage of a coastal trough along the southern Queensland coast between the 23rd and 26th brought further instability after which the system moved away into the Tasman Sea, deepened and extended further air flow of dry and stable air.

Long period rainfall totals remained below average but improved a little for most periods. The shorter time spans remained above average. 6 monthly rainfall remained above average but was below average for 9 monthly to 48 monthly, with the greatest being 18 monthly rainfall at 236.9 mm below average.

For July there were 2 existing records exceeded or equalled, along with 9 records that was highest/lowest in at least 5 years.

August

There were 5 days of morning dew.

Smoke haze on the 5th to 7th, 14th and 31st.

Heavy fog in early morning of the 14th with visibility down to 150 metres.

There were many warm nights during the month with the temperature reaching the minimum temperature in the evening or well before sunrise due to persistent wind or cloud cover before the temperature rose or became stable during the rest of the overnight hours.

WSW to NW winds were moderate at times in the afternoon of the 9th, 10th and 22nd.

On the 15th with some rainfall cloud increased before dry and gusty W to NW winds in the evening.

Low humidity in the evening of the 19th, 20th, in the evening of the 23rd and on the 24th.

Much of the month saw high pressure extending cool and stable conditions. Several troughs or fronts passed through which brought some rainfall. Later in the month the troughs brought no rainfall with warm and dry conditions with their passage and further dry air in westerly winds in the wake of the troughs.

Long period rainfall totals remained well below average while deteriorating further. The shorter time spans remained above average. 6 monthly rainfall slipped significantly to 161.7 mm below average being more than 6 months since significant rainfall at the start of the year. 9 monthly rainfall was 79.4 mm above average while 12 to 48-month rainfall was between 72.4 mm below average for 12 month rainfall and 245.3 mm below average for 24 month rainfall.

For August there were 0 existing records exceeded or equalled, along with 8 records that was highest/lowest in at least 5 years.

September

There were 6 days of morning dew.

Smoke haze on 1st to 3rd, 25th and 26th.

Heavy fog in early morning of the 14th with visibility down to 150 metres.

A cool to cold day on the 6th under increasing cloud cover accompanied with a S to SE winds in the late morning and some rainfall.

Warm start to the day on the 20th to 24th under cloud cover, along with warm to hot days with sunny skies.

On the 25th a thunderstorm passed to the south and another passed to the north with little rainfall.

Low humidity on the 26th and 27th with dry WSW to NW winds after a NNW to WNW wind change on the 26th.

High pressure ridges along the east Queensland dominated throughout the month that brought generally stable conditions. Some rainfall was brought with the passage of troughs and fronts that produced mostly dry conditions.

Long period rainfall totals remained well below average during most periods while deteriorating further. 6 monthly rainfall fell significantly to 161.7 mm below average being more than 6 months since significant rainfall at the start of the year. 9 monthly rainfall was 79.4 mm above average while 12 to 48-month rainfall was between 72.4 mm below average for 12 month rainfall and 245.3 mm below average for 24 month rainfall.

For September there were 0 existing records exceeded or equalled, along with 3 records that was highest/lowest in at least 7 years.

October

There were 2 days of morning dew.

Smoke haze on 17th and 18th.

An SSE to ESE wind change in the morning of the 10th, an E to SSE wind change in the afternoon of the 19th and an SSE to SE wind change in the morning of the 27th.

The minimum temperature was reached very early in the day on a number of days: 12th, 14th, 23rd, 27th.

Cold in the afternoon of the 24th as the maximum temperature was reached in the middle of the day with rain and drizzle.

Light but gusty W to SW winds with a severe thunderstorm on the 25th.

A cool to cold day on the 27th with cloudy skies and showers and thundery rain.

A moderate thunderstorm in the afternoon of the 28th brought gusty wind gusting to 62 km/hr.

A hot day on the 31st easing in the afternoon with 4 nearby thunderstorms.

High pressure systems brought stable conditions or onshore moisture in the first half of the month, before slow moving surface troughs brought a period of instability later in the month. This combined with weak high pressure ridges along the east Queensland coast as well.

Long period rainfall totals continued to remain well below average during most periods, that improved for some of the periods. 6 monthly rainfall improved by 130 mm to 64.5 mm below average. 9 monthly rainfall remained above average at 97.2 mm above average while 12 month rainfall was 12.2 mm above average, improving from 58.6 mm below average in the previous month. 18 month to 48-month rainfall was between 166.6 mm below average for 12 month rainfall and 323.3 mm below average for 36 month rainfall. Compared with the same period in the previous year most of these periods improved, however 24 and 36 monthly rainfall worsened and was the lowest since 2007 (455.8 mm below average for 24 monthly and 624.9 mm below average for 36 monthly rainfall).

For October there were 3 existing records exceeded or equalled, along with 3 records that was highest/lowest in at least 7 years.

November

There were 1 day of morning dew.

Smoke haze on 15th to 19th and 23rd to 24th.

An SSE to ESE wind change in the evening of the 1st, a WNW to WSW winds in the evening of the 5th, a ESE to SE wind change in the late afternoon of the 17th and a wind change in the late afternoon of the 24th.

The minimum temperature was reached very early in the day on the 9th and 27th.

Warm in the evening of the 5th following a wind change.

Cold during the 8th under cloud cover while the temperature rose quite slowly during the day.

A warm evening after a warm day on the 16th.

Warm from early on the 17th with a hot day before becoming cool in the mid-afternoon before a wind change in the late afternoon.

Sunny or mostly sunny from the 20th except for cloudy skies on the 24th and 25th.

Warm early in the day, in the morning and in the evening of the 25th.

High pressure systems brought stable conditions or onshore winds throughout the month. Rainfall was suppressed during the month additionally by upper-level ridging.

Most long period rainfall totals continue to remain well below average, that improved for some of these periods. 6 monthly rainfall improved slightly to 58 mm below average, while 9 monthly rainfall reduced significantly from 97.2 mm in the previous month to 205.9 mm below average. 12 month rainfall remained nearly the same as the previous month at 3.4 mm above average. 18 month to 48-month rainfall was between 140.7 mm below average for 48 month rainfall and 384 mm below average for 24 month rainfall. Compared with the same period in the previous year most of these periods improved, except for 36 monthly rainfall which have worsened and was the lowest since 2008 when it was 334.2 mm below average.

For November there were 6 existing records exceeded or equalled, along with 3 records that was highest/lowest in at least 5 years.

December

There were 0 days of morning dew.

Smoke haze on 1st to 4th, 6th, 7th and 9th.

An SSE to EESE wind change in the late afternoon of the 8th that brought cooler temperatures after a low intensity to severe intensity heatwave on the 1st to 7th.

In the early afternoon of the 23rd was an ESE to ENE wind change.

The minimum temperature was reached very early in the day on the 10th and 16th. The minimum temperature on the 14th was reached in the previous evening, whilst the recorded maximum temperature on the 14th occurred in the mid-morning after a cloudy and cold day on the 13th.

The heatwave at the start of the month and cloud cover during the middle of the day associated with the rainfall brought a significant number of warm nights during the month.

In the afternoon of the 7th the temperature dropped 7 ºC in just over an hour.

Light but gusty SSW to SW winds in the morning tended S to SE before dying down at midday. This was associated with the passage of a coastal low pressure system that brought severe weather over coastal areas that included heavy rainfall, though severe weather didn’t occur at this location.

Fog early in the day on the 15th with relative humidity near saturation.

In contrast to the previous month, high pressure systems extended ridges along the coastline that were not overly strong and allowed low pressure systems to bring more moisture into the region during the middle of the month. In the middle of the month a upper low pressure system moved northwards and a upper level trough induced a coastal trough to develop that brought an active period of instability and rainfall.

Most long period rainfall totals continue to remain below or well below average, that improved for many of these periods. 6 monthly rainfall improved a little to 18.3 mm below average, while 9 monthly rainfall deteriorated from 171.9 mm above average to 52.7 mm below average. 12 month rainfall improved by 91 mm to 94.2 mm above average and 18 month rainfall improved by 100 mm at 38 mm below average. 24 month to 48 month rainfall was between 156.7 mm below average for 48 month rainfall and 366.1 mm below average for 24 month rainfall. Compared with the same period in the previous year these periods improved, and the greatest improvement was 12 monthly rainfall that improved by 564 mm.

For December there were 3 existing records exceeded or equalled, along with 12 records that was highest/lowest in at least 5 years.

Tables