MONTHLY WEATHER REVIEW - ARMIDALE NSW

DECEMBER 2012

December 2012 was a warm month with good falls of rain. Numerous troughs developed over inland New South Wales during the month which generated warm, cloudy and stormy conditions.

The total rainfall of 93.0 mm was slightly above the average with most of the rain falling from thunderstorms. The highest daily fall was 30.4 mm on Christmas Day.
Temperatures were well above the long term average with 30.0 degrees exceeded on six days.
Thunderstorm activity was higher than normal with storms on 11 days, some of these storms generated short bursts of very heavy rain, but there was no hail.
Prevailing winds were light to moderate westerlies.

Noteworthy events:
25th - A trough over eastern New South Wales created wet stormy conditions in Armidale with slow moving thunderstorms developing in the afternoon. 7 mm rain fell between 1.30 and 2.30pm during a noisy thunderstorm, and very heavy rain between 8 and 9pm during a second thunderstorm. Further rain fell during the night. Total to 9am on the 26th was 30.4 mm - the highest daily fall of rain for five months.

DECEMBER 2012 STATISTICS (long term averages in brackets)

Rainfall: 93.0 mm (89.0 mm)

Rain days: 15 (10)
2012 rainfall total: 597.2 mm (789.0 mm)

Average maximum temp: 26.5 deg (24.9 deg)

Average minimum temp: 12.6 deg (11.1 deg)

Highest maximum temp: 33.1 deg on the 2nd

Lowest maximum temp: 20.4 deg on the 12th

Highest minimum temp: 17.3 deg on the 25th

Lowest minimum temp: 3.0 deg on the 6th

Fine sunny days: 11 (15)

Ideal weather days: 1 (0.4)

Days with thunderstorms: 11 (8)

Days with frosts: 0 (0)

Days with fogs: 0 (1)

Wind direction at 3pm & number of days: W: 10, E: 8, SW: 7, NW: 2, NE: 1, SE: 1, N: 1, S: 1

Average daily pan evaporation: 5.4 mm (5.1 mm)

Thunderstorm details:

2nd: 4.50-6.00pm - thunder heard, 6.00-7.30pm - heavy storm from west
7.30-8.00pm - thunder heard, slight storm
10.30-11.30pm - slight storm from west
3rd: 8.00pm approx. - thunder heard
4th: 2.55-3.20am slight storm - 3.6 mm rain
8th: 7.15-7.50pm - slight storm from west
9th: 3.30-5.00pm - slight storm, 5.35-6.05pm - slight storm, 7.30-8.15pm - slight storm
19th: 8.00-8.20pm - thunder heard in south
20th: 12.10-1.40am - moderate storm from north-west - 10.0 mm rain
22nd: 4.00-5.30pm slight & moderate storms - 0.4 mm
23rd: 7.30-8.00pm approx. - thunder heard in south-east
24th: 6.30-8.00pm - thunder heard in east, 8.00-8.30pm - slight storm from east
25th: 1.30-3.15pm - moderate & slight storms - 6.6 mm
8.00-9.00pm - moderate storm with heavy rain