A passage of a deep low pressure complex brought widespread heavy rain to our regions during the last two days of April.
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Low maximum temperatures continued into May. Most places received 50mm or more. Coonabarabran has recorded a total of 118.8 for April, making it the wettest April since 2003.
Rain diminished further north from Narrabri and places like Roma and Charleville received none. Coonabarabran has had its coldest February to April period since 2008.
Many places in North East Victoria were saturated with more than 100mm on the last two days of April.
Benalla received 92.2mm to 9am on April 30. This was the town's wettest April day on record. The month's total of 198mm was the wettest for April since 249mm in 1939.
Alpine resorts recorded record April totals. Mt Buller recorded 358mm, easily an April record. There were only three other months with higher rainfalls - 431.6mm in July 1990, 411mm in October 2001 and 386.8mm in November 1952.
The 24-hour rainfall reading of 116.6mm at Mt Buller was also a record for April. Only two other wetter days overall were 138.6 in early December 2017 and 128mm on September 9, 1949.
Rocky Valley, Falls Creek recorded 243mm. Other two days of more than 200mm were 235mm on September 23-24, 1998 and 275mm on October 4, 1993 resulting in major floods. There was heavy rain in the latter half of April 1998 in North East Victoria.
Cocos Island and nearby Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean have just recorded their warmest-ever month. The former warmest month at Cocos was April 1998 and the former warmest month at Christmas was March- April of 1983.
The city of Melbourne recorded its coldest start to May since 1962.
On top of the coldest February to April period since 1949, it certainly looks a gloomy cold winter is on the way.
The highest temperature for April was only 23.5 degrees. There were only three other times in the last 162 years when the maximum temperature failed to reach 24 degrees in April in Melbourne. These were in 1900, 1946 and 1974.
Deniliquin's highest temperature for April was only 27 degrees. It was the first time in April since 1999 that this temperature was not exceeded.
