MONTHLY WEATHER REVIEW - ARMIDALE NSW

NOVEMBER 2014

November was a very dry and very warm sunny month.
The rain total of 22.6 mm was 64 mm less than the long term average and was the lowest for November since 1982.
It was an extraordinarily warm month with temperatures topping 30 degrees on eight days, and 35 degrees was reached on three days.
The average maximum temperature for the month of 28.0 degrees was the second highest on record from 123 years of records available. The highest was 28.6 degrees recorded at the post office in 1897.
Overnight temperatures were also unusually high averaging 11.4 degrees, the highest since 1914.
Thunderstorm activity was high, although very little rain was recorded from the storms.
Prevailing winds were light to moderate westerlies.

Noteworthy events:
5th - A line of thunderstorms passed through the Northern Tablelands in the early evening with intense lightning and thunder, strong wind gusts, but only light to moderate rain. 8.6 mm of rain was recorded from the storms, but the amount would have been a little higher due to strong winds at the height of the storms affecting the amount of rain reaching the rain gauge. Wind gusts at Armidale airport of 95 km per hour were recorded at 7.28pm and 7.30pm. A low pressure trough moving through New South Wales generated the wild weather.

15th - Hot north-westerly winds ahead of a low pressure trough caused temperatures to soar to near record levels for November in northern New South Wales. The maximum of 35.5 degrees was the highest for November since 19th November 1944 when the post office recorded 36.4C. The temperature reached 30 deg at 10.30am and remained above 30 deg until 5.30pm with the maximum at 3.50pm.

23rd - The above record was broken by 0.1 deg with a maximum of 35.6 deg as another trough brought hot north-westerly winds into New South Wales.

NOVEMBER 2014 STATISTICS (long term averages in brackets)

Rainfall: 22.6 mm (83.8 mm)

Rain days: 8 (9)
2014 rainfall total Jan to Nov: 377.4 mm (698.2 mm)

Average maximum temp: 28.0 deg (22.8 deg)

Average minimum temp: 11.4 deg (8.8 deg)

Highest maximum temp: 35.6 deg on the 23rd

Lowest maximum temp: 22.4 deg on the 29th

Highest minimum temp: 19.1 dg on the 21st

Lowest minimum temp: 5.7 deg on the 17th

Fine sunny days: 16 (13.5)

Ideal weather days: 1 (1)

Days with thunderstorms: 8 (6)

Days with frosts: 0 (1)

Days with fogs: 2 (1)

Wind direction at 3pm & number of days: W: 14, E: 10, SW: 3, NW: 2, SE: 1

Average daily pan evaporation: 5.5 mm (4.5 mm)

Thunderstorm details:

1st: 6.40-7.00pm - slight storm from west - 1.2 mm rain
5th: 3.05-4.00pm - slight storm from west; 5.10-7.00pm - thunder heard, no rain
7.00-9.30pm - moderate & heavy storms from west - 8.6 mm rain
10th: 9.00-10.00pm - thunder in south, no rain

10.45-11.30pm - moderate storm from north-west 0.4 mm rain

11th: 4.30-5.00pm - thunder heard, no rain

23rd: 4.35-4.45pm - thunder heard, no rain; 6.50-7.40pm - slight storm, 1.8 mm rain

24th: 6.20-7.00pm - thunder heard in south, no rain; 8.00-8.15pm - thunder heard, no rain

29th: 12.00-12.45pm - slight storm from west; 1.45-3.00pm - slight storm from west, 9.4 mm rain from both storms
30th: 1.30-2.00pm - slight storm from west