The passage of a complex low-pressure system, linking up with an inland trough over northern Australia late last week, brought much-needed rainfalls to several locations, breaking a long dry spell.
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The heaviest rains were recorded at Walgett, 43mm; Gwabegar, 60mm; Tamworth, 40mm; Gunnedah, 43mm and Coonabarabran, 30mm. These locations received their heaviest rainfalls for the first week of May in 19 years. The rain did extend further north into outback Queensland to as far north as Charleville and Roma last Saturday, May 4 and maximum temperatures were well below normal for May.
Further south into northern Victoria, there were isolated heavy rainfalls.
Stawell received 68.6mm to 9am on Thursday, May 2 and this is a new record daily fall for May in 154 years of records - breaking the previous daily May record of 63.5mm in 1893.
It is interesting to note that heavy daily rainfalls at Stawell occurring this time of year in the past has signaled wet conditions for the rest of the year in both Victoria and NSW.
On Thursday, May 2 very heavy rain with thunderstorms lashed North East Victoria. Many farmers welcomed the heavy rain but some homes were damaged by floods after 120mm fell in Baranduda.
Corowa recorded 69mm to last Friday morning, May 3 breaking the previous record daily fall for May set 101 years ago.
Dartmouth Dam's 82mm was its heaviest daily fall for May since the 91.3mm recorded on May 13, 1918.
Following the recent rain, temperatures have fallen below the May normal in the Albury-Wodonga region.
A large high-pressure system, with a strong ridge to as far as Macquarie Island, is slow moving and this will provide a few days with frosty mornings and maximum temperatures struggling to reach 20 degrees.
Currently, there are signs that the next low-pressure trough, now entering the Western Bight, will be deflected into our region by the slow-moving high-pressure system bringing some patchy rainfalls.
Broome last Sunday, May 5 recorded a near record hot day for May with 37.6 degrees. Some of this extreme warmth at Broome will not be transported into the Albury-Wodonga region or into outback Queensland but will set up further significant rainfall during the latter half of this month and during June in the Albury-Wodonga region.
The severe dust storm, which hit Mildura late Tuesday afternoon, was one of the worst there for many years, probably for decades. Dust storms in the Mallee and further north to Cobar have been considerably more frequent than usual during the past two years, similar to what happened during the long dry from 1943 to 1945.