Australian Bureau of Statistics
Celebrating the International Year of Statistics 2013

• Summary
• Downloads
• Explanatory Notes
• Related Information
• Past & Future Releases

The interaction of airstream and topography is the main factor governing rainfall in Tasmania. Consequently, the annual rainfall varies markedly across the state, averaging less than 600 mm in the Midlands but over 3,500 mm in some part of the mountainous west. The highest rainfalls occur in remote, unpopulated regions.

While Tasmania experiences a generally reliable rainfall, there are periods when rainfall is significantly below or above the average. These are mainly due to changes to the broad meteorological and oceanographic situation, which affects the number of rain bearing systems over the state. Rainfall is less predictable over the eastern half of the state than in the west.

• The highest accumulated rainfall recorded in a calendar year is 4,504 mm at Lake Margaret Dam, in the highlands of the West Coast, in 1948.

• The greatest number of rain days recorded in a year is 314 at Waratah in the North-west in 1955, which is also a record for Australia.

• The highest rainfall recorded in 24 hours between successive 9 am readings is 352 mm at Cullenswood (in the north-east highlands), on 22 March 1974.

ANNUAL RAINFALL AT SELECTED STATIONS, Tasmania
	2000	2001	2002	Long-term average(a)
Station	mm	mm	mm	mm
Bicheno	603	na	455	na
Burnie	799	944	730	987
Bushy Park	481	568	457	601
Currie Airport	980	na	873	na
Devonport Airport	617	844	570	816
Flinders Island Airport	823	848	585	780
Glenorchy Reservoir	na	812	656	764
Hobart (Ellerslie Road)	455	681	466	586
Hobart Airport	428	518	417	513
Lake Margaret (Power Station)	2,821	2,585	3,344	2,898
Launceston (Ti Tree Bend)	728	642	558	na
Launceston Airport	658	654	565	660
Liawenee (Great Lake)	1,165	1,078	1,075	na
Macquarie Island	1,189	1,069	1,022	906
Scottsdale	936	995	778	na
Southport	1,085	na	1,003	na
Strahan Airport	na	1,455	na	na
Strathgordon	2,659	2,207	3,050	na
Swansea	544	669	365	572
Waddamana	741	na	670	805
na not available (a) At least 25 years of observations are required for the calculation of this figure. The period covers 1961 to 1990. Source: Bureau of Meteorology.