Summary of February temperature records in eastern Australia (NSW, SA, Victoria, Queensland) – update 23 February 2004 – data Summary Courtesy of the Australian Bureau of Meteorology

A substantial number of record temperatures have been set in eastern Australia in the period since 10 February. A summary of these are listed below.

Historical records listed below are for Stevenson screen observations. Where a non-Stevenson observation is higher, it is listed in brackets.

All records are as listed in ADAM, except where stated.

The current spatial and temporal extent of this summer heat-wave places amongst five most severe of the past century, alongside the events of January 2001, January 1982, December 1972/January 1973 but short of January 1939 (culminating in Black Friday).

State February records

New state February records have been set in NSW and Victoria, possibly in Queensland, and equalled in South Australia.

In NSW, Ivanhoe reached 48.5 on 15 February. Pooncarie (47.6 on 14 February) also exceeded the previous record, which was 47.2, set on five separate occasions in 1915, 1923, 1933 and 1968. (There has also been a non-Stevenson 48.3 at Bourke in 1889). This is also the highest temperature in NSW in any month since 48.6 at White Cliffs on 3 January 1973.

In Victoria, Ouyen reached 46.7 on 14 February. The previous record of 45.6 (Rutherglen, 1/2/1968) was also broken at Walpeup (46.3), Swan Hill (46.0) and Nhill (45.7), and equalled at Mildura and Nhill Airport. (The highest non-Stevenson observation is 48.9 at Mildura on 19/2/1892). An extraordinary observations is that 11 Victorian stations exceeded 45 degrees on 14 February - compared with 9 previous instances of 45+ in February in the entire historical record.

In Queensland, 46.3 was recorded at both Ballera and Thargomindah on 16 February. The only higher observations in February in Queensland are four at Boulia in 1905 and 1915 (the highest being 48.3 on 7/2/1915). Whilst the Boulia observations are known to have been made in a Stevenson screen, they are considered questionable because of consistent large differences between maximum and 3 p.m. temperatures, and between mean maximum temperatures at Boulia and those at other locations in the region.

In South Australia, 47.9 was recorded at Marree on 16 February, equalling the previous SA February record of 47.9 at Tarcoola on 17 February 1992. In addition, the minimum temperature of 34.0 at Moomba Airport on 17 February is the highest daily minimum temperature on record for February in South Australia (previously 33.5 at Oodnadatta on 17 February 1989).

Site records - maximum temperature

Station numbers used are listed after the station name - in general sites have been combined if they are considered reasonably comparable. The stations listed are those in the homogenized daily temperature data set (101 currently open stations throughout Australia), with the addition of Brisbane City, given the public interest in that location. Many more records will have been set at other stations. Where records have been set on more than one occasion in the last week, only the highest value is shown.

SA

Marree (17031)                  47.9, 16 February - previously 47.1 (1/2/1960)
Oodnadatta (17043/17114)	46.8, 17 February - previously 46.5 (16/2/1983)
Ceduna (18012)		        47.3, 10 February - previously 46.5 (7/2/1983)
Port Lincoln (18070/18192)	44.2, 14 February - previously 43.4 (3/2/1993, at 18192)
Snowtown (21046/21133)		45.2, 14 February - previously 44.8 (16/2/1983)
Adelaide (23000/23090)		44.3, 14 February - previously 43.4 (1/2/1912, 15/2/1981)
Nuriootpa (23321/23373)		43.0, 14 February - previously 42.1 (20/2/1980)

NSW

Wilcannia (46043)	     	47.1, 15 February - previously 45.6 (24/2/1968)
Cobar (48027/48030)		46.1, 15 February - equalled 46.1 (24/2/1923) (47.8, 26/2/1889)
Williamtown (61078)		42.8, 21 February - previously 42.0 (1/2/1968)
Scone Soil Cons (61089)		43.0, 21 February - previously 42.6 (17/2/1983)
Bathurst ARS (63005)		40.1, 15 February - previously 37.8 (24/2/1923)*
Dubbo (65012/65070)		44.5, 15 February - previously 42.8 (9/2/1983)#

Victoria

Mildura (76031/76077)		45.6, 14 February - previously 45.0 (7/2/1926, 13/2/1933) (48.9, 19/2/1892)
Nhill (78031)			45.7, 14 February - previously 45.2 (1/2/1968)
Kerang (80023)			45.1, 14 February - previously 44.2 (24/2/1968)

Queensland

Brisbane City (40214/40913)	41.7, 22 February - previously 40.9 (21/2/1925)
Brisbane Airport (40223/40842)	40.2, 22 February - previously 35.8 (2/2/1958)#
Tewantin (40264/40908)		39.0, 22 February - previously 38.3 (20/2/1925)
Miles (42023)			41.8, 21 February - previously 41.6 (10/2/1969)
St. George (43034/43109) 	43.6, 21 February - previously 43.0 (22/2/1980)
Thargomindah (45017)		46.3, 16 February - previously 45.0 (18/2/1981, 9/2/1986)


(*) - from manuscript data not currently in ADAM.
(#) - record for any month (based on ADAM data - which does not include January 1939 at Dubbo).
 Note that the Bathurst all-months record (from manuscript data) is 40.6 (11 and 13/1/1939).

Site records - minimum temperature

The following site records have been set for February minimum temperatures. Brisbane City has been added to the data set for this purpose.

South Australia

Tarcoola (16044/16098)		32.0, 10 February - previously 31.8 (20/2/1980)
Marree (17031)			32.6, 16 February - previously 32.0 (8/2/1994)
Snowtown (21046/21133)		28.3, 15 February - equals 28.3 (1/2/1943, 8/2/1983)
Nuriootpa (23321/23373)		28.0, 15 February - previously 26.5 (10/2/2000)

NSW

Wilcannia (46043)		31.1, 15 February - equals 31.1 (21/2/1980)
Cobar (48027/48030)		31.9, 16 February - previously 31.1 (14/2/1960)
Gunnedah Soil Cons (55024)	27.9, 22 February - previously 26.8 (7/2/1973)

Victoria

Mildura (76031/76077)		30.0, 15 February - previously 29.1 (2/2/1943)

Queensland

Gayndah (39039)			27.0, 22 February - previously 26.4 (1/2/1996)
Amberley (40004)		27.4, 22 February - previously 25.4 (16/2/1979)#
Brisbane City (40214/40913)	27.9, 22 February - previously 26.0 (19/2/1982)
Brisbane Airport (40223/40842)	28.1, 22 February - previously 25.9 (1/2/1996)#
Miles (42023)			27.6, 21 February - equals 27.6 (11/2/1969) - also equals all-time 
				record
(#) - record for any month

Consecutive days of heat

The following records (for all months) have been broken for the greatest number of days above specified thresholds. It is likely that additional records have been set for spells starting/ending in February but this has not been checked. Data up to and including maxima on 19 February and minima on 20 February are included. In general only 'round' numbers have been used. The 37.8°C (100°F) is used given the public interest it still attracts.

South Australia

Tarcoola (16044/16098)		12 days over 40 (6-17 Feb) - equals 12, 26/2-9/3/1989
				(no reports from AWS since 17 Feb)
Marree (17031)			4 nights over 30 (11-14 Feb) - previously 3, 3-5/1/2004
				(most pre-2004 was 2, on 7 separate occasions)
Oodnadatta (17043/17114)	9 nights over 30 (12-20 Feb) - previously 7, 30/12/2003-5/1/2004
				(most pre-2004 was 4, 21-24/1/1982)
Snowtown (21046/21133)		16 days over 35 (5-20 Feb) - previously 12, 17-28/1/1961
Adelaide (23000/23090)		17 days over 30 (4-20 Feb) - previously 14, 29/1-11/2/1930 and
				28/1-10/2/1956
				8 days over 35 (13-20 Feb) - equals 8 on 7 previous occasions

New South Wales

Tibooburra (46037)		4 nights over 30 (14-17 Feb) - previously 3, 11-13/1/1939
Wilcannia (46043)		16 days over 40 (6-21 Feb) - previously 12, 1-12/1/1979
Scone (61089)			6 days over 37.8 (10-15 Feb) - equals 6, 24-29/11/1997
				10 days over 35 (6-15 Feb) - previously 7, 17-23/12/1994 and
				16-22/12/1997
Bathurst Ag (63005)		7 days over 35 (10-16 Feb) - previously 6, 21-26/1/2001
Dubbo (65012/65070)		7 days over 40 (10-16 Feb) - previously 6, 1-6/1/2004
				(most pre-2004 was 5, 25-29/11/1997)
				10 days over 37.8 (7-16 Feb) - previously 7, 1-7/1/2004
				(most pre-2004 was 6 on 3 occasions, most recent 17-22/1/2003)
Sydney (66062)			10 nights over 22 (7-16 Feb) - previously 6, 3-8/2/1988 and 
				22-27/1/2001
Richmond (67033/67105)		10 nights over 20 (7-16 Feb) - previously 7 on 4 occasions
Cabramurra (72091/72161)	10 days over 25 (12-21 Feb) - previously 8, 18-25/1/1973 and
				13-20/2/1980
Wagga Wagga (72150)		12 days over 35 (10-21 Feb) - previously 11, 6-16/1/1988
Wyalong (73054)			7 days over 40 (10-16 Feb) - previously 5, 6-10/1/1979

Queensland

Brisbane City (40214/40913)	2 days over 40 (21-22 Feb) - equals 2, 20-21/1/2000

Outside the main data set used in this paper, records have been noted at the following:

Broken Hill (47007)		7 days over 40 (10-16 Feb) - previously 6, 4-9/1/1979
				16 days over 37.8 (6-21 Feb) - previously 8, 8-15/1/1988 and
				15-22/12/2002
Orange Airport (63231)		16 days over 30 (6-21 Feb) - previously 9, 21-29/1/2001
The run of 9 consecutive nights above 30 at Oodnadatta is without precedent in the Australian climate record. The previous highest was 7, at Oodnadatta earlier in 2004, as well as on earlier occasions at Wittenoom and Newman (WA) and Mornington Island (Queensland).

Mean monthly and fortnightly temperatures

Mean maximum temperature anomalies for the period 1-22 February are widely in the +5-6 degree range through large areas of northern Victoria, southern inland NSW and eastern South Australia, reaching +7 degrees in the Central Tablelands district of NSW. An exhaustive search has not yet been carried out: however, the following locations have means for the 1-22 February period which exceed the highest mean monthly maximum (for any month) in the historical record:

Canberra		32.5 (currently 32.0, February 1968)
Wyalong	 		37.4 (currently 36.8, January 1981)
Bathurst	 	34.3 (currently 32.8, January 1929 and February 1926)
Maps accompanying this document show maximum and minimum temperature anomalies for the fortnight 6-19 February. Peak maximum temperature anomalies for this period are around 10°C in the central Eyre Peninsula (SA), with 8-10°C anomalies over significant parts of South Australia and NSW.

An interesting comparison can be made with the heatwave of January 2001 (no figure shown, but is available via the 2001 Annual Climate Summary). The pattern of anomalies for 6-19 February 2004 is very similar to that of 10-23 January 2001, but the area enclosed by +6°C and +8°C anomalies is somewhat greater in 2004 than in 2001.