An exceptionally prolonged autumn warm spell
The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a Special Climate Statement on the extended warm spell in May 2014, affecting most of the country.
Key points from the statement:
- Numerous records approached or set for temperatures above thresholds. For example:
- Melbourne—13 consecutive May days above
20 °C (previous record 11)
- Sydney—19 consecutive days above 22 °C (previous record 9)
- Adelaide—16 days in a row above 20 °C (previous record 15)
- Warmest May on record for South Australia and third-warmest nationally
- We have now recorded above-average national mean temperatures for 21 of the last 22 months
- Year-to-date (January to May) temperature anomaly for Australia is +0.84 °C.
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Maximum temperature anomalies
(difference from 1961–1990 average)
for period 8–26 May 2014 (°C)
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