Climate Change Chart of Maria Island, Australia

Overview of climate changes

Temperature changes

Averaged across calendar months, monthly mean temperature shows a difference of +1.88 °C compared with the earlier reference period. This is an unweighted comparison of monthly means, not a day-weighted annual average, and it describes the overall monthly-mean difference rather than a change that occurred evenly in every month. The largest monthly increase was in June, with a difference of +3.37 °C. These are monthly mean temperatures, not daytime maximum temperatures, so they describe a different aspect of conditions than peak daytime heat.

Changes in rainfall

Mean daily rainfall, rather than monthly rainfall totals, was higher on average across calendar months, with a difference of +0.41 mm/day. This is an unweighted average of the monthly means and does not imply that rainfall increased in every month. The largest monthly increase was in June, at a difference of +1.04 mm/day; by contrast, August had the largest monthly decrease, a difference of -0.02 mm/day. Together, these monthly contrasts show why the overall average should not be read as a uniform month-by-month change.

Changes in sunshine duration

Mean daily sunshine duration was lower across calendar months on average, with a difference of -0.62 hours/day compared with the earlier reference period. This is an unweighted comparison of monthly means, not a day-weighted annual figure, and it does not indicate that every month had less sunshine. The largest monthly decrease occurred in November, with a difference of -1.18 hours/day. These values describe mean daily hours, not total sunshine accumulated over a month.

Changes in snowfall

Mean daily snowfall shows a small average difference across calendar months: a difference of -0.01 mm/day. Because these are rounded means, the displayed comparison should not be taken to mean snowfall was absent or that all months were unchanged. The largest monthly increase was shared by July / November, at a difference of +0.01 mm/day, while August recorded the largest monthly decrease, with a difference of -0.04 mm/day. These are mean daily amounts, not monthly snowfall totals, and the overall mean does not describe every month individually.