The movement of a small cut-off low pressure which travelled slowly inland from south of the Bight has produced some exceptional weather events since July 8 in widely scattered regions.
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Mildura had its coldest July day since 1916, the maximum temperature reached only 7.6 and nearby Swan Hill with a maximum of 7.3, had its coldest ever day in the town's history. Both places had dense fog all day.
As this cut-off system moved towards the south-west corner of Queensland a thunderstorm front formed on its forward edge bringing heavy rainfalls.
Thargomindah recorded 52mms, Walgett 29mms, Coonabarabran 42mms and Dubbo 28mms.
Nearby places had only five to ten millimetres and the dry conditions of the past ten weeks have continued.
However, the 52mms at Thargomindah was the highest daily fall for July in 141 years of records, while Coonabarabran's 42mms was its wettest July day there for eight years.
As this cut-off system moved towards the south-west corner of Queensland a thunderstorm front formed on its forward edge bringing heavy rainfalls. Thargomindah recorded 52mms, Walgett 29mms, Coonabarabran 42mms and Dubbo 28mms.
Places in the Riverina and North East Victoria recorded around 20mms as a result of a warm front swinging southwards from this cut-off low.
Wangaratta received a handy 27mms over the weekend.
This cut-off system then moved into the Tasman Sea bringing very heavy rain along the South Coast of NSW which has been very dry since mid April.
Bega recorded 144mms in the 48 hours to July 14, its highest two-day total since 210mms in 1988.
In July 1918 Bega recorded 160mms after a very dry mid-April to early July.
The records for 1918 show there was above-average rainfall in August and early September in North East Victoria.
This low deepened considerably in the Tasman Sea where sea surface temperatures have risen two degrees above normal.
