BROOME had its hottest day for early September since 1989 with 38 degrees but this above normal warmth won’t come our way.
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Last month was notable for many all-time records broken at various places across the nation. Some of these were indeed very remarkable.
Carnarvon in Western Australia easily recorded its hottest ever August in 130 years of records.
The mean maximum temperature of 28.3 was 5.3 degrees above normal and was a massive three degrees above the previous hottest August of 1987 taken at the airport.
The old post office records dating back to 1883 show the hottest Augusts of 1893 and 1896 were also lower by about 1.5 degrees than last month’s record.
What was even more remarkable about last month’s record warmth at Carnarvon was the fact that it was warmer than the hottest ever September of 27.3 recorded in 1987.
The old post office records show September 1896 being hotter at 30.6 than last month’s record.
Alice Springs on the other hand has recorded its coldest August since 1989 and the sixth coldest since 1878.
Both mean maximum and mean minimum temperatures for the month were more than three degrees below normal.
This was a striking contrast to August of last year when the mean maximum was nearly six degrees higher and the mean minimum was nearly five degrees higher.
Such a big temperature contrast between Alice Springs and Carnarvon last occurred 118 years ago in 1896 and before that in 1891.
There was a slight resemblance in recent decades in August 1994.
Those particular years were dry on the NSW coast, quite different to the widespread heavy rains this month.
The month was noteworthy for the record low mean minimum temperatures for August at many places in the Riverina and North East.
Rutherglen had its lowest mean minimum temperature for August in 101 years of record with a reading of minus 0.4. It also recorded the biggest fall in the mean minimum from July to August in the same year of 2.6 degrees since 2.7 degrees in 1940.
In 1940 there were high temperatures mid to late October in our regions and also in 1944 and 1994, which does indicate October will have above normal warmth.