30/08/2012: Adelaide is still damp and chilly at the end of one of its wettest, coldest winters in decades, according to weatherzone.com.au.

The last days of the season are a snapshot of winter as a whole, with showers about and maximum temperatures in the mid teens.

The city has gained 260mm of rainfall this season, making it the wettest winter in seven years. In 2005, 275mm was recorded during winter.

The average maximum this season has been 15.5 degrees, placing it amongst the four coldest winters in the last 23 years.

Comparable winters in the last 23 years include 2010, when the maximum averaged 15.4 degrees, 2008 (15.5 degrees) and 1997 (15.3 degrees). The last time winter was significantly colder was in 1989, when the maximum averaged 14.6 degrees. The coldest on record was in 1956, when the average was 14.2 degrees.

This cold, wet winter has been a strain for some residents.

Being caught in the rain has left people damp and cold for longer due to the lack of drying warmth. The fewer-than-normal dry days have made washing a challenge, with many forced to dry clothes inside, in front of heaters.

There have been 52 days of rain all up, five more than average. This is the highest number of winter rain days since 2008, when there were 59 rain days.

The last time there was a colder winter as wet as this was in 1986. In that winter the average maximum temperature was 15.3 degrees and 304mm of rain was recorded.

"There has been a fairly high frequency of cold fronts and low pressure systems, leading to the higher-than-normal cold, wet days. Some of these systems have brought fairly heavy rain and cold winds," Weatherzone meteorologist Brett Dutschke said.

The 31mm of rain that fell on Thursday 26th of July was the heaviest July rain in 14 years. The 36mm on the night of Wednesday 20th of June was a seven-year high for June. The 10.8-degree maximum temperature the following day was a seven-year low for winter and a 13-year low for June.

"Looking ahead to spring, chilly nights and mornings and warmer, drier days will be a feature to begin with. Overall, spring's overnight temperatures should be slightly lower-or-near average. Daytime temperatures should be near-or-above average with help from near-or-just-below-average rainfall," Dutschke said.

Media Inquiries:

Brett Dutschke
media@weatherzone.com.au
02 9965 9269

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