MONTHLY WEATHER REVIEW - ARMIDALE NSW

MARCH 2014

March 2014 was a warm, cloudy month with good falls of rain.
Most of the rain fell in the last ten days, with the total for the month being 101.8 millimetres, which was the wettest March since 2002 (112.4 mm). The highest daily fall was 25.8 mm on the 28th. Of note is that March’s rainfall total was higher than the total for the previous three summer months.
Both day and overnight temperatures were a little higher than normal with 25.0 degrees reached or exceeded on 14 days. There were no notable extremes.
It was a mostly cloudy month with only 12 sunny days, morning fogs were on the increase, which is normal at this time year, and winds mostly light easterlies.

Noteworthy events:
24th - 28th - A low pressure trough which developed over inland New South Wales on 24th March produced good soaking rain to the New England region over the following five days. The total from the 24th to the 28th was 67.2 mm. Despite some moderate falls during this period, there was very little run off with most of the rain soaking into the very dry ground.

MARCH 2014 STATISTICS (long term averages in brackets)

Rainfall: 101.8 mm (65.1 mm)

Rain days: 14 (10)
2014 rainfall total Jan to Mar: 168.6 mm (255.9 mm)

Average maximum temp: 23.7 deg (23.3 deg)

Average minimum temp: 11.2 deg (10.2 deg)

Highest maximum temp: 27.6 deg on the 16th

Lowest maximum temp: 14.9 deg on the 24th

Highest minimum temp: 15.8 deg on the 19th

Lowest minimum temp: 6.6 deg on the 12th

Fine sunny days: 12 (16)

Ideal weather days: 0 (2)

Days with thunderstorms: 3 (2)

Days with frosts: 0 (1)

Days with fogs: 5 (3)

Wind direction at 3pm & number of days: E: 15, W: 5, SE: 3, S: 3, SW: 3, NE: 1, NW: 1

Average daily pan evaporation: 3.3 mm (3.7 mm)

Thunderstorm details:

6th: 3.00-3.30pm - slight storm
16th: 2.30-3.30pm - moderate storm from west
7.30-9.30pm - moderate storms from west - 14.6 mm rain from both events
8.05pm - hailstones - sparse - up to 20mm diameter
24th: 7.30-8.10pm - slight storm