MONTHLY WEATHER REVIEW - ARMIDALE NSW

SEPTEMBER 2013

September 2013 was a dry, sunny and extraordinarily warm month.

Rainfall was well below average totaling just 23.8 millimetres with most of it falling in one event on the 15th and 16th.
Large areas of central and eastern Australia recorded their warmest September on record, and this included most of the Northern Tablelands and Armidale.
Day temperatures averaged 21.7C, highest on record for September (based on maximum temperature records for the past 122 years). The previous highest was 20.7C in September 2000.
The warmest day of the month was the 26th which reached a record breaking 28.7C. See details below.
The extreme warm conditions were the result of several factors including numerous dry sunny days, a number of troughs moving rapidly through New South Wales drawing in very dry warm air from the centre of Australia, and a lack of strong cold fronts bringing in cold southerly air.
Despite the warm daytime temperatures overnight minimums were mostly close to normal dropping to frost levels on 16 nights.
Winds were mostly moderate westerlies and were stronger than normal for this time of year.

Noteworthy events:
26th - A trough moving through New South Wales generated strong very warm north-westerly winds resulting in a maximum temperature of 28.7C which was the highest on record for the month of September. (The previous highest was 28.2C on 29/9/2000 and on 25/9/2002.

SEPTEMBER 2013 STATISTICS (long term averages in brackets)

Rainfall: 23.8 mm (51.4 mm)

Rain days: 4 (8)
2013 rainfall total Jan to Sep: 456.8 mm (547.0 mm)

Average maximum temp: 21.7 deg (17.6 deg)

Average minimum temp: 2.7 deg (2.5 deg)

Highest maximum temp: 28.7 deg on the 26th

Lowest maximum temp: 14.5 deg on the 16th

Highest minimum temp: 9.0 deg on the 16th

Lowest minimum temp: -3.0 deg on the 27th

Fine sunny days: 25 (19.5)

Ideal weather days: 4 (3)

Days with thunderstorms: 1 (2)

Days with frosts: 16 (15) light: 9, moderate: 7

Days with fogs: 2 (2)

Wind direction at 3pm & number of days: W: 15, SW: 8, E: 5, SE: 1, NW: 1

Average daily pan evaporation: 3.9 mm (3.2 mm)

Thunderstorm details:

13th: 11.15-11.45pm - slight storm from west - 1.4 mm rain