JANUARY was hotter than average in the ACT, although cooler than January 2019, and, if you hadn’t noticed, rainfall was generally below average. And that hailstorm was one of the most severe hailstorms recorded in the ACT.

In the Bureau of Meteorology’s review of the month’s weather, it notes the most of the rain that fell was from thunderstorms.

The measure at Canberra Airport was 16 millimetres for the month, 64 per cent short of the 44.2 millimetre long-term average.

The month was hot. Both daytime maximum and nighttime minimum temperatures were mostly above average, although 2 to 3°C lower than those of January 2019

At the aport the mean daily maximum temperature was 31.7°C, which is 3.4°C above the long-term average of 28.3°C. This was the equal fourth-highest mean maximum on record for January, after 2019, 2017 and 2013. The warmest day was 44°C on the 4th, and the coolest day was on the 6th when the temperature reached 21.5°C

The mean daily minimum temperature was 15.2°C, which is 1.9°C above the long-term average of 13.3°C. The coldest morning was 9.7°C on the 13th, and the warmest morning was on the 28th when the minimum temperature was 20.5°C.

Heading it a “month of extreme events” the bureau noted:

• Canberra Airport reached 44°C on the 4th. This is the highest temperature ever recorded in the ACT, exceeding the 42.8°C at Acton on January 10, 1939.
• One of the most severe hailstorms recorded in the ACT occurred on the 20th. Hail of 4 to 6 cm in diameter fell across a region extending from the southern half of Belconnen through Acton to the inner-southern suburbs. Extensive damage was reported to buildings and motor vehicles.
• In the same storm, Canberra Airport reported a wind gust of 117 km/h, its strongest since 1996 and the second-strongest on record for January.