About Climate Data Online

Purpose of Climate Data Online

Our aim is to give you quick and ready access to recent and historical data as well as a range of popular climate products. Many of these products are generated dynamically at your request - this means that the most up-to-date information will be used to create your product.

We will update and add new products to these pages from time to time, so please check the Notice Board. Also, feel free to use the link on the Notice Board to drop us a line and let us know what you think of these products.

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Content

Climate Data Online provides a range of statistics, weather observations and other climate data for Australian locations. Some of the products - such as climate statistics - can only be accessed through these pages, while other data are accessible from different areas of the Bureau's web site.

Climate statistics are available for more than 1000 sites across the Australian continent, nearby islands and the Antarctic region. These are the sites where a minimum of ten years of maximum and minimum temperature data exist in the Australian Data Archive for Meteorology (ADAM). Statistics for some elements (e.g. evaporation) may not be available either because there are less than 10 years of observations, or the element may not have been observed at that site. Supporting information describing each of the statistics is included, and information is also provided about the individual sites to assist in choosing the most appropriate location.

The Daily Weather Observations product provides observations of weather elements for more than 700 locations. Observations are available for the current and previous twelve months, and include daily minimum and maximum temperature, rainfall, strongest wind gust, evaporation, and sunshine, together with values at 9 am and 3 pm of temperature, humidity, wind, cloud and pressure.

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Features of the initial release

The initial version of Climate Data Online provides an integrated, map-based interface to weather observations and statistics around Australia. The type of map can be selected according to your needs; plain for fastest download or topography to show the relationship between sites and the surrounding terrain. Climatological backgrounds will be progressively added, helping to show the relationship between sites and various climate elements (such as annual average rainfall). Capital city regions, which tend to have a higher density of sites, are provided at a larger scale.

Figure 1. Climate Data Online provides graphical comparison of monthly climate statistics

The range of statistics has been expanded from the previously available Climate Averages product, and are now calculated using data which are updated many times during the month. The dates on which extremes were observed are now also included. A new graph plotting tool provides an easy way to compare statistics and data for individual years, as well as allowing comparisons between two sites.

More information about each site is now provided, including a topographic map showing the site in relation to the surrounding terrain (nearby terrain can influence the climate). Background information about the different weather observations and the various statistics have been improved, and will continue to be expanded over time.

It is anticipated that improvements to the way in which map navigation is implemented, including the addition of more background layers and the ability to zoom in and out of a region, will be made at some future date.

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Technical stuff

Some of the Climate Data Online pages use javascript to provide additional functionality and enhanced user efficiency and inter-activity. You will need to have javascript enabled within your browser to use these features. Wherever appropriate there are alternative, non-javascipt pages available to provide basic content.

Climate Data Online also uses cookies in some of the products. A cookie is a text record stored on your computer by your web browser. They are often used to store information about a selection you have made (such as a favourite weather station), so that the same information need not be entered each time. For example, cookies are used within the monthly climate statistics pages to remember whether the user wants a standard or large table view, and in the monthly climate data interface to improve the efficiency of accessing climate data for successive locations. Within Climate Data Online the cookies store no personal information, and are deleted once your web browser is closed.

Please feel free to contact us should you require further information.

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