Gungahlin records a mild, dry end to winter
Sep 7, 2009
Weather conditions across Gungahlin during August perfectly summed up the winter season this year – warmer, drier and windier than normal.Nights were cool to cold, with an average minimum of 3.1°C; significantly warmer than the average of 1.3°C recorded last August and well above Gungahlin’s longer term August average of 1.6°C. The warmest night for the month occurred on August 24, when the temperature was a very mild 10.1°C, while on August 9, it dropped to a freeing -5.8°C.
Days were generally cool and cloudy, with an average maximum of 13.0°C; well up on the average of 11.1°C recorded last August. The highest temperature for the month was a warm 17.4°C, recorded on August 23, while on August 26, cloudy skies and gusty W/NW winds combined to keep Gungahlin's maximum temperature to 9.4°C.
Due to the milder night-time conditions Gungahlin recorded just 12 frosts for the month, and there were 3 fogs. This compares to the 21 frosts and 1 fog recorded during August last year.
Winds at the Weather Centre averaged at 6.3 km/h during August, with the strongest gust for the month 69.2 km/h from the W/NW, recorded on August 7.
Continuing the recent dry trend, Gungahlin recorded just 23.0mm of rain in August, over 11 days. This was below the 33.3mm that fell last August and well below Gungahlin’s longer term August average of 53mm. Falls in other parts of Canberra were also below normal, with Canberra AP recording 37.4mm for the month and Tuggeranong 31.8mm. Gungahlin’s total rainfall so far in 2009 now stands at 216.0mm, well down on the 266.2mm that fell over the same period last year.
Gungahlin's September outlook: Following one of the warmest winters on record in Gungahlin, the first month of spring should see a continuation of above average temperatures, particularly at night. Overall, daytime temperatures should average at around 17°C, and nights at 6°C. This compares to Gungahlin’s longer term September average of 4°C to 16°C. Spring rainfall prospects are mixed, with both September and November likely to be drier than normal, while October should see well above average falls. With this in mind, Gungahlin is likely to receive less than the September rainfall average of 52.2mm. A more worrying sign beyond spring is the developing El Nino weather phenomenon across the Pacific Ocean. El Nino is generally associated with warmer, drier conditions.
See how winter 2009 compared to the other 10 winters recorded at the Weather Centre in the 1999 to 2009 Gungahlin Winter Statistical Summary.
Source: The Gungahlin Weather Centre - 1 September 2009.
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