MONTHLY WEATHER REVIEW - ARMIDALE NSW

FEBRUARY 2012

February 2012 was a warm cloudy month, with good falls of rain.
The rain total of 121.8 millimetres was 33 mm higher than the average with most of the rain concentrated into three rain events - the 1st to the 3rd, 10th to the 11th, and 20th to 22nd.
Because of the cloudy wet conditions, day temperatures were a little lower than the long term average with temperatures reaching 25.0 degrees or higher on 14 days.
Overnight minimums were close to normal. There were no notable extremes.
Thunderstorm activity was a little lower than normal, there were no hailfalls, and winds were mostly light westerlies.

Noteworthy events:
1st-3rd - A trough over northern New South Wales brought moderate and heavy falls of rain to Armidale totaling 78 mm which caused flooding in Dumaresq Creek on the 2nd, 3rd & 4th.

FEBRUARY STATISTICS (long term averages in brackets):

Rainfall: 121.8 mm (88.7 mm)

Rain days: 13 (10)
2012 rainfall total Jan to Feb: 173.4 mm (190.5 mm)

Average maximum temp: 24.3 deg (25.4 deg)

Average minimum temp: 12.5 deg (12.6 deg)

Highest maximum temp: 28.1 deg on the 6th

Lowest maximum temp: 16.5 deg on the 1st

Highest minimum temp: 15.5 deg on the 21st

Lowest minimum temp: 8.9 deg on the 12th

Fine sunny days: 11 (13)

Ideal weather days: 0 (1)

Days with thunderstorms: 3 (5)

Days with frosts: 0 (0)

Days with fogs: 4 (1)

Wind direction at 3pm & number of days: W: 11, E: 8, S: 3, SW: 3, NE: 2, SE: 2

Average daily evaporation: 3.5 mm (4.5mm)

Thunderstorm details:

11th: 4.45-5.00am approx. - slight storm
1.10-1.25pm - thunder heard in north - no rain
2.50-3.35pm - slight storm from west
4.45-5.30pm - heavy storm from west

20th: 4.45-7.30pm - slight & moderate storms from west

9.45-10.15pm - slight storm from west - 20.6 mm rain during & after storms

22nd: 3.00-3.30pm - slight storm from west - 1.0 mm rain