MONTHLY WEATHER REVIEW - ARMIDALE NSW

DECEMBER 2014

December 2014 was a warm, thundery, cloudy month with good falls of rain.
The rainfall total of 159.6 mm was 71 mm higher than the average with rain on two out of every three days. The best falls were on the 5th/6th and 27th/28th.
Although temperatures were warmer than normal, December was actually slightly cooler than the preceding month of November with maximums reaching 30 degrees or higher on just two days.
It was a cloudy month with only 9 fine sunny days, and thunderstorm activity was unusually high with storms on 15 days. There were no hailfalls.
Prevailing winds were light to moderate westerlies.

Noteworthy events:
5th/6th - Heavy falls of rain from thunderstorms totaled 28.6 mm rain for the 24 hours ending 9am on the 6th.
25th - A trough over inland New South Wales produced widespread thunderstorms in the north of the state. Storms passed through Armidale in the afternoon and evening with moderate and heavy falls of rain in the city totaling 16.0 mm. Armidale airport recorded 18.6 mm. Falls in nearby areas were much lighter.
27th-28th December - A surface trough combined with an upper air disturbance over north-east New South Wales delivered 44.4 mm of rain over the 48 hours ending 9am on the 29th with minor flooding in Dumaresq Creek on the 28th.

DECEMBER 2014 STATISTICS (long term averages in brackets)

Rainfall: 159.6 mm (88.5 mm)

Rain days: 20 (10)
2014 total rainfall: 537.0 mm (786.7 mm)

Average maximum temp: 26.1 deg (25.0 deg)

Average minimum temp: 13.0 deg (11.1 deg)

Highest maximum temp: 31.0 on 17th

Lowest maximum temp: 18.1 on the 28th

Highest minimum temp: 17.6 deg on the 26th

Lowest minimum temp: 7.0 deg on the 31st

Fine sunny days: 9 (15)

Ideal weather days: 0 (0.5)

Days with thunderstorms: 15 (8)

Days with frosts: 0 (0.3)

Days with fogs: 0 (1)

Wind direction at 3pm & number of days: W: 13, SW: 6, E: 6, SE: 4, S: 1, NW: 1

Average daily pan evaporation: 4.3 mm (5.1 mm)

Thunderstorm details:

2nd: 6.00-6.30pm approx - thunder heard in east
3rd: 3.00-4.25pm - thunder heard, 4.15-7.30pm approx - slight & moderate storms

4th: 1.10-2.00pm - slight storm
5th: 1.00-1.30am approx - slight from west, 10.30pm - 12.00 midnight - heavy & moderate storms from west
6th: 12.00 midnight-2.30am - slight & moderate storms from west - 28.6 mm rain (also from previous evening)

8th: 12.00 midnight-12.45am - thunder heard, 10.30-11.00am - thunder heard in south,
6.30-6.40pm - thunder heard
9th: 2.20-2.30pm - thunder heard in south
11th: 12.00-12.45am - slight storm from west - 8.0mm, 1.15-3.30pm - mod & slight storms from west - 12.4mm
17th: 5.30-7.30pm - heavy storm from west, 7.30-9.40pm - slight storms from west - 2.0 mm from all storms
18th: 2.30-4.00pm - slight storms from west - 3.8mm
21st: 5.15-8.00pm - thunder heard, various directions
23rd: 5.00-5.30pm - slight storm from west - 1.8mm
24th: 9.15-9.45pm - thunder heard in west
25th: 2.50-3.00pm - slight storm from west - 3.8mm, 3.30pm -thunder heard
6.55-7.35pm - moderate storm from north-west
29th: 11.00-11.30am - slight storm from north-west