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NT hit with highest daily rain in 79 years
The Bureau of Meteorology has recorded Darwin’s highest daily rainfall for October in 79 years, with more than a metre of rain pelting the city.
October 8, 2020
Darwin has recorded its highest daily rainfall for October in 79 years as more than a metre of rain pelted down on the city.
It’s given the Northern Territory a flying start to the wet season, with 17 times more rain falling in Darwin than the same time last year, the Bureau of Meteorology says.
“The heavens opened in Darwin,” senior meteorologist Sally Cutter said.
“It’s been a dramatic contrast to the past two wet seasons, which were much drier.”
To 9am on Thursday, 177mm of rain was recorded at Marrara in north Darwin and 136.8 was recorded at Royal Darwin Hospital.
Darwin airport received 113mm of rain.
The previous highest daily rainfall for October was recorded in 1969 with 95.5mm.
Before modern record-keeping began in 1941, a 116.6mm of daily October rain was recorded in 1880 at the Darwin Post Office, an observation past longer used.
The bureau said the rain came from multiple lines of storms consistent with La Nina conditions, which typically increases early wet season rains in the Top End.
The average total rain for Darwin during the wet season is 1676.1mm and the highest wet season rainfall recorded was 2918.4mm.
This is about 1.7 times higher than average and was recorded during the last significant La Nina event in 2010-11.