MONTHLY WEATHER REVIEW - ARMIDALE NSW

OCTOBER 2013

October 2013 was a warm, dry and sunny month.
The rainfall total of 31.0 millimetres was less than half the average with the highest daily fall being 13.0 mm on the 29th. This was the fourth consecutive month this year with below average rainfall.
It was Armidale’s warmest October since 2007 with temperatures reaching the mid-twenties on a number of days. Despite the high number of warm days, overnight temperatures were still quite cool dropping to frost levels on 10 days.
Winds were mostly westerlies and were stronger than normal with six days recording well above average wind speeds.

Noteworthy events:
29th - A trough moving through north-eastern New South Wales generated a line of thunderstorms which passed through Armidale in the early afternoon with gusty winds, moderate rain and a brief fall of hail at around 2.40pm, hailstones were up to 10 mm in diameter. Rainfall totaled 13.0 mm from the storms.

OCTOBER 2013 STATISTICS (long term averages in brackets)

Rainfall: 31.0 mm (68.1 mm)

Rain days: 6 (9)
2013 rainfall total Jan to Oct: 496.8 mm (615.1 mm)

Average maximum temp: 23.3 deg (20.5 deg)

Average minimum temp: 4.9 deg (5.5 deg)

Highest maximum temp: 29.5 deg on the 22nd

Lowest maximum temp: 13.0 deg on the 18th

Highest minimum temp: 14.6 deg on the 11th

Lowest minimum temp: -3.0 deg on the 4th

Fine sunny days: 21 (18)

Ideal weather days: 5 (2)

Days with thunderstorms: 5 (4)

Days with frosts: 10 (7) light: 6, moderate: 4

Days with fogs: 1 (2)

Wind direction at 3pm & number of days: W: 19, SW: 5, E:3, S: 1, NE: 1, NW: 1

Average daily pan evaporation: 5.2 mm (4.1 mm)

Thunderstorm details:

13th: 10.00-10.30pm - thunder heard, no rain
17th: 4.30-5.00pm - slight storm from west
7.00-7.50pm - moderate storm from west - 3.2 mm rain from both these storms
18th: 11.25-11.50am - slight storm from west with small hailstones (5 mm diameter) at 11.45am
23rd: 3.40-4.10pm - moderate storm from west
5.50-6.00pm - slight storm from west - 1.4 mm rain from both these storms
29th: 2.00-3.15pm - moderate storms from west - 13.0 mm rain
2.40-2.45pm - hail up to 10 mm diameter mixed with rain - sparse
3.45pm - thunder heard, no rain