Launceston has broken records having its driest and warmest January on record this year, the Bureau of Meteorology said.
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The city only received 5.6 millimetres of rain for the month breaking a 38-year-old low rainfall record.
A 35-year-old mean daily maximum temperature record was also broken in Launceston with the average temperature for January being 27.3 degrees.
BOM climatologist Ian Barnes-Keoghan said a number of places in the north and north-west broke their records.
“Tasmania has had its warmest January on record and also its driest January on record,” Mr Barnes-Keoghan said.
“What we’ve seen through the month is a succession of very warm days, only one or two especially hot ones, but really very little in the way of cold weather.
“The temperatures overall, particularly during the day time, have been well above average and well above the previous records.”
Yolla in the north-west broke a 114 year low rainfall record receiving only 7 millimetres in the month of January.
Mr Barnes-Keoghan said Yolla as a standout because the previous driest January was in 1939.
“For Yolla, a long-term rainfall station, to break its low rainfall record for January is quite exception and really and indicator of how dry and how warm this January has been in Tasmania.”
Zeehan also experienced record low rainfall of 36.6 millimetres for the month and Devonport had its highest January mean daily maximum temperature on record of 23.9 degrees.
Mr Barnes-Keoghan said rainfall totals have been very low right across the state.
“Hobart has been the real stand out there, we had 0.4 millimetres of rain recorded for the whole month,” Mr Barnes-Keoghan said.
“That equals the record that we saw back in December 1994 to be our driest month on record, and we’ve got well over 130 years of observations from Hobart, so a real stand out there. The previous driest was around 2 millimetres.”
“Temperatures have risen over Australia, over Tasmania, over the whole globe over the last century.
“This is definitely a symptom of climate change. Warm weather becomes more likely and cool weather becomes less likely as we go forward.
Mr Barnes-Keoghan said the warm and dry conditions made bushfires more likely to occur.
“One of the other things that we saw, with the persistent dry weather, very warm temperatures and very little rain, so not much to dampen down the soils, we also have several bursts of what we call dry lighting, periods of thunderstorms moving over with lighting strikes and almost no rain associated with them,” Mr Barnes-Keoghan said.
“They are not common in Tasmania, and occurring as they did during the time when everything has been drying out with little rain and high temperatures, that meant that vegetation was dry and ready to start burning.
“The west especially is often very, very wet and these persistent dry conditions, and the very warm conditions, meant that soils and fuels that normally would be damp and hard to get burning were quite dry and with that dry lighting coming through that was enough to provide that ignition.
“Then not getting significant rainfall meant that we really didn’t get any respite, any good opportunities to control those fires.”
The Australian Firefighters Climate Alliance said the record-breaking month is a warning alarm that Australians face increased risks from bushfires unless long term action is taken to address climate change.
AFSM director and firefighter Vivien Thomson said back-to-back months of record-breaking heat have increased the fire weather risks contributing to the intensity and duration of bushfires that have scorched parts of the country this summer.
“You only need to look at the current situation in Tasmania, which had its driest January on record, to see bushfires have a devastating consequence for Australian communities,” Ms Thomson said.
“On the front line, us firefighters are seeing how the extreme heat is making fires harder to control and put out.
“We are working for longer periods during the fire seasons in more difficult and dangerous conditions.
“Without urgent action on climate change, the toll on the physical and mental health of everyday people and firefighters, the economy, our precious natural heritage, and our water supply, will only get worse.”
Climate drivers used to look at what will happen in terms of weather conditions in the next few months are sitting neutral, Mr Barnes-Keoghan said.
“They aren’t pushing strongly in one direction or another, however what we can see is warm temperatures are much more likely than cool temperatures through February,” Mr Barnes-Keoghan said.
“February is often one of the warmest times of year for Tasmania, and it looks most likely this February will be a warm February.”
“February is often the driest time of year for many parts of the state so a dry, or even an average February, can’t really turn around the extreme deficits we have seen through January.”