MONTHLY WEATHER REVIEW - ARMIDALE NSW

JANUARY 2012

January 2012 was an unusually cool and cloudy summer month.
Despite the cloudy conditions the rain total of 51.6 millimetres was about half the long term average and was the lowest for January since 2003. Most of the rain fell in the second half of the month.
Day temperatures were much cooler than normal. The average maximum temperature for the month was 23.7 degrees, 2.7 degrees less than the long term average, the lowest for January since 1997. Temperatures reached 26 degrees or higher on just seven days and there were only ten sunny days. The first half of the month was the warmest, with cloudy, cool and wet conditions prevailing from the 14th.
Thunderstorm activity was a little less than normal, and winds were moderate easterlies.

Noteworthy events:
12th - The minimum temperature was unusually low at just 3.8 deg. This was eight degrees below the average for this time of year, but not cold enough to break the January record low of 2.6 degrees on 19th January 2010.
22nd to 31st - A trough over northern New South Wales brought ten days of cloudy wet conditions. Although most daily falls were light, the cloudy conditions caused day temperatures to remain well below normal. Heavy rain and flooding occurred along the North Coast from this system. Armidale recorded just 24.0 mm during the ten days.

JANUARY STATISTICS (long term averages in brackets):

Rainfall: 51.6 (101.8 mm)

Rain days: 14 (10)
Average maximum temp: 23.7 deg (26.4 deg)

Average minimum temp: 12.3 deg (12.6 deg)

Highest maximum temp: 29.4 deg on the 8th

Lowest maximum temp: 17.8 deg on the 25th

Highest minimum temp: 18.0 deg on the 9th

Lowest minimum temp: 3.8 deg on the 12th

Fine sunny days: 10 (16)

Ideal weather days: 1 (1)

Days with thunderstorms: 4 (6.5)

Days with frosts: 0 (0)

Days with fogs: 1 (1)

Wind direction at 3pm & number of days: E: 15, SW: 6, W: 5, NE: 3, SE: 2

Average daily evaporation: 4.9 mm (5.2 mm)

Thunderstorm details:

5th: 8.00-10.30pm - heavy & moderate storms from west - 11.4 mm rain
6th: 5.20-6.0pm - thunder heard in east - no rain
8th: 10.45pm-12.00 midnight - heavy storm from west - 5.6 mm rain
14th: 11.15am-1.40pm - thunder heard in north & east - no rain
1.40-2.15pm - slight storm from west - 0.8mm rain
9.00-9.30pm approx. - slight storm