Annual
Weather Review
Armidale NSW - 2012
© Compiled and written by Peter Burr, using data
recorded at the Bureau of Meteorology weather station at East Armidale. No part
of this review may be reproduced for commercial purposes without prior permission
from the author.
2012
was a dry year with cooler than normal conditions during the first three
months, and warmer than normal conditions during the remainder.
RAINFALL: It was Armidale’s driest year since 1986
with a total of 597.2 mm, 192 mm less than the LTA. Rainfall was above average
in February, April, July and December, and below
average in the remaining months. The wettest month was February with 121.8 mm,
and the driest was May with 11.4 mm. October’s total of 19.6 mm was the lowest
for October since 1951. The highest daily fall was 49.4 mm on the 14th July.
TEMPERATURES: Temperatures were
cooler than normal in January, February and March, and were warmer than normal
for the rest of the year with December being the warmest month. The hottest day
of the year was 2nd December at 33.1 degrees, the coldest day was 5th June with
a maximum of 7.5 degrees, and the coldest overnight temperature was -9.0
degrees on 25th June. A notable extreme was the maximum of 7.7 degrees on 12th
October during a severe cold snap. This was the lowest October maximum on
record from 73 years of records.
WINDS:
Winds were light in February, April and May, and light to moderate
in all other months. The year totalled 11 windy days* (annual average 19 days).
Wind direction at 3pm: west: 145 days,
east: 93 days, south-west:
52 days, south-east: 28 days, south: 21 days, north-east: 13 days, north-west: 10 days, north: 3 days.
EVAPORATION: Total for the year was
1156.8 millimetres which was 33 mm less than the LTA. Average daily evaporation
for the year was 3.2 mm.
FROSTS: Total frosts for the year
was 120 which was 23 more than the LTA. August was the
frostiest month recording 25 frosts. There were 34 light frosts, 53 moderate
frosts and 33 severe frosts**. The first frost was on 10th April which produced
a frost-free period of 170 days over the summer of 2011-12. The last frost was
on 16th October.
FOGS: There were fogs on 33 days which is close to
the annual average. The foggiest months were May and June with fogs on 6 days.
There was one evening fog with the remainder in the early mornings.
SNOW: Very light snow showers fell in the morning of
12th October, but did not settle on the ground. This was a most unusual event
occurring so late in the year. The last October snowfall was in 1966. The
annual average is 2.2 days of snow. The last settling snowfall in Armidale was
on 9th July 2008.
THUNDERSTORMS: Thunderstorm activity was low during the
early months of the year, but was high during November and December when
numerous troughs developed over northern New South Wales generating
thunderstorms.
HAIL: Hail fell on 3 days - 17 September (2 falls -
hailstones up to 5mm diameter), 24th September (hailstones up to 5 mm
diameter), 12th October (soft hail). The annual
average is 3.3 hail days.
FLOODS: Minor & moderate flooding occurred in
Dumaresq Creek on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th February, and the 13th & 14th July.
Minor brief flash flooding occurred on other dates not recorded here.
LTA - Long Term Average * Windy day - average wind
speed higher than 20 kms per hour: 9am to 6pm
** Intensity of frosts: light - minimum
temp > 0.0C,
moderate - minimum temp -3.9C to -0.1C, severe - minimum temperature <-3.9C.
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Weather
Statistics 2012 - Armidale NSW
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