Island Climate Update 63 - December 2005

Pacific Islands Climate Data Rescue
Rod Hutchinson, Australian Bureau of Meteorology
Map showing PICs
FROM this TO this
Introduction
The Australian Bureau of Meteorology (the Bureau) has started a Data Rescue project in five Pacific Island Countries (PICs) close to Australia.

An overview of the present climate in the tropical South Pacific Islands, with an outlook for the coming months, to assist in dissemination of climate information in the Pacific region.
Number 63 – December 2005
November’s climate
The South Pacific Convergence Zone (SPCZ) extended from Papua New Guinea towards the Austral Islands; high rainfall in parts of the Southern Cook Islands, Tonga, and northern and southern French Polynesia
Suppressed convection occurred in the central equatorial Pacific; below average rainfall in much of Vanuatu, New Caledonia, the Northern Cook Island

Climate developments in November 2005
Outgoing Long-wave Radiation anomalies for November 2005. (Click for enlargement and detail)
A large and active area of enhanced convection affected much of Southeast Asia, extending to Papua New Guinea and northern Australia. The South Pacific Convergence Zone (SPCZ) extended from Papua New Guinea towards the Austral Islands, including the Solomon Islands, Fiji, Tonga, Niue, and the Southern Cook Islands. The Inter-tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) was well north of the equator.

Tropical rainfall outlook: December 2005 to February 2006
Rainfall outlook map for December 2005 to February 2006. (Click for enlargement)
A large region of enhanced convection is expected from the Solomon Islands southeast to the Austral Islands including Vanuatu, Wallis and Futuna, Samoa, Fiji Tonga, Niue, Southern Cook Islands, and Society Islands.
Near or below average rainfall is likely over Tuvalu, Tokelau, and Pitcairn Island.

Tropical pacific rainfall - November 2005
Territory and station name
November 2005 rainfall total (mm)
Long-term average (mm)
November 2005 percent of average
Lowest on record (mm)
Highest on record (mm)
Records began
American Samoa
Pago Pago Airport
219.4
275
80
1966
Australia
Cairns Airport
29.4
97
30
3.2
372
1941
Townsville Airport
6.0
61
10
0.2
359
1940
Brisbane Airport
127.6
97
132
1.3
408.4
1929
Sydney Airport
93.0
83
112
1929
Cook Islands
Penrhyn
125.6
225
56
32
644
1937
Rarotonga EWS
282.0
136
207
9
385
1929
Fiji

Sources of South Pacific rainfall data
This bulletin is a multi-national project with important collaboration from the following Pacific nations:
American Samoa
Australia
Cook Islands
Fiji
French Polynesia
Kiribati
New Caledonia
New Zealand
Niue
Papua New Guinea
Pitcairn Island
Samoa
Solomon Islands
Tokelau
Tonga
Tuvalu
Vanuatu
Requests for Pacific island climate data should be directed to the Meteorological Services concerned.
Acknowledgements
This bulletin is made possible with financial support from the New Zealand Agency for International Development (NZAID), Wellington, New Zealand, wi