Bureau of Meteorology releases Annual Climate Statement for 2012
03/01/2013
The Bureau of Meteorology's Annual Climate Statement, released today (Thursday 2013), highlights a climate shift from the wetter and cooler La Niña conditions in the first half of the year to the drier and warmer conditions in the second half.
Nationally, this shift played out with slightly above average temperatures (up by 0.11°C), and rainfall also slightly above the long-term average (up by 11mm).
2012 delivered a number of events, which pushed the boundaries of previous records:
Extreme rainfall in the southeast in the first quarter saw the third wettest March on record for Australia, and second wettest for New South Wales.
New South Wales recorded its equal wettest week on record [27 February to 3 March], after a slow moving rain-band delivered steady rainfall across Australia's southeast, and a statewide average of 123.9mm. Moree experienced its worst flooding in 36 years.
Major flooding was experienced in southeast Victoria in early June, the impact of an East Coast Low.
Further south Tasmania was warmer, recording the second-warmest annual average minimum temperatures on record.
The South Australian wet season was out of character; the fifth driest April to November on record.
In the Northern Territory, Alice Springs had its longest run of dry days on record - 157 consecutive days without rain - breaking the previous record by 10 days, ending with 3mm of rain 29 September.
Western Australia experienced its driest July on record in the southwest, while the northwest was
hit by two tropical cyclones - Heidi made landfall near Port Hedland on 12 January, and Lua near Pardoo on 17 March. Both systems brought heavy rainfall and inland flooding, before eventually decaying.
A cold outbreak in the southeast saw unseasonal snowfalls in October, followed by an early season heatwave, which resulted in Victoria's hottest November day on record.
The oceans surrounding Australia, which are a major driver of our weather and climate, were the equal sixth-warmest since records began in 1910.
Preliminary data shows that globally 2012 was the ninth-warmest year on record.
Go to Annual Climate Statement for more information.
