Last month was again very dry at most places in our regions except just north of the border into Victoria.
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Mean maximum temperatures for June were about half- to one degree above normal while mean minimum temperatures were about one degree below normal.
Melburnians had reason to complain about the cold June with the mean minimum temperature of 6.8 the lowest in June since 6.3 in 2006 and the third-lowest since 1983.
A maximum temperature of 10.6 on June 28 made it the coldest June day since 1993 in Melbourne.
During last week, much-needed rain fell in outback Queensland. St. George had 15mms rainfall, breaking 110 days of no rain at all. The rain extended into our regions as far as Wagga.
Rainfalls were light to moderate generally but isolated heavy falls occurred at Lightning Ridge, 42.6mms and 65mms at Collarenebri.
Last month was again very dry at most places ...
The 42.6mms at Lightning Ridge was the sixth-wettest June day in 130 years of records and ended 71 successive days without any rain, the longest rainless spell there since 115 days in 1975.
There appears to be a discrepancy in the rainfall recordings last month in the town of Coonabarabran. The last week of June showed no rainfall but at the Airport and at Barina property the readings were 16mms and 34mms respectively.
Nevertheless, April to June in Coonabarabran was very dry for the second year in succession. It was also very dry at Bathurst for the second successive year from April to June.
Bathurst rain records go back to 1858, much earlier than other centres in our region and they show back-to-back very dry April to June periods in 1865 and 1866.
The temperature records at Deniliquin, Bendigo and Melbourne show there was marked warm days in April and May of 1866 which also happened this year in both April and May.
There were near-average rainfalls at these three places during the 1866 winter and November 1866 was very cold and wet in Melbourne.
The year 1868 was very dry at these three centres and the year 1870 was very wet with floods but I cannot be certain that 2020 will be very dry and 2022 very wet.
The rain event in Queensland did spread a vast sheet of cloud extending south into Victoria and many places had one of their coldest June days on record.
Broken Hill with a maximum of only 7.5 had its coldest June day in 130 years, breaking a 1989 record.
