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Coldest February in Canberra for 12 years

Press Release, Friday February 29, 2008 - 10:47 EDT

Residents of Canberra have just shivered through their coldest February in 12 years, according to weatherzone.com.au.

Canberra had an average maximum of 25 degrees, below the long-term normal of 27. This made it the mildest February in terms of daytime temperatures since 2002. In fact, yesterday, on the 28th, the temperature struggled to just 17 degrees, the coldest February day in three years.

It was a similar story across the rest of the ACT. Tuggeranong also had an average maximum of just 25 degrees, four below normal.

The nights were closer to normal. Canberra?s average minimum of 13 degrees was right on the long-term normal. However, this morning, on the 29th, the mercury plunged to a chilly eight degrees, making it the coldest February night in two years.

When both daytime and overnight temperatures were combined, Canberra?s average temperature for February came in at 19 degrees, slightly below the long-term normal of 20. This made it the coldest February since 1996.

"We are in the middle of a strong La Nina weather pattern at the moment. La Nina summers tend to be colder than normal across eastern Australia as there is more cloud cover and rainfall," weatherzone.com.au meteorologist Matt Pearce said.

The La Nina pattern also brought more rainfall to the Canberra region. The city picked up 67mm during February, slightly above the long-term normal of 55mm.

Once again, it was a similar story across the rest of the Territory. Tidbinbilla received 116mm throughout February, almost twice its long-term normal.

"During a La Nina, the waters off the east coast of New South Wales are warmer than normal and we also experience more easterly winds blowing off these warm waters. This pattern results in increased cloud cover and rainfall over the ACT," Pearce said.

"The next few months are likely to remain slightly wetter than normal as the La Nina pattern is expected to persist through autumn. As a result, the days will be slightly cooler than normal and the nights warmer than normal."

- Weatherzone

© Weatherzone 2008