Last month across Victoria saw rainfalls generally above the October average except for places in the Mallee and North East Victoria.
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The rainfall at both Wangaratta and Rutherglen fell short of the October average by about 13mm, but slightly above average at Yarrawonga, with 55mm.
The month saw an absence of hot days. The highest temperature in Wangaratta was only 26.1 on October 22. This was the lowest absolute maximum temperature for October since 2003.
Benalla's highest temperature for October of 25.4 degrees made it the lowest absolute maximum for October since 1976.
Both Rutherglen and Benalla had very cold mornings, with light frosts on the last three mornings of October.
It was the coldest for late October at Rutherglen since 1998 and at Benalla since 1970.
There was certainly widespread heavy rain during the second week of both November of 1970 and 1998.
Referring to Benalla's lowest absolute maximum for October since 1976, there was widespread rain and thunderstorms in Victoria during the first week of November 1976, and on November 13, a tornado killed an elderly couple trapped in their car near the town of Sandon.
The City of Melbourne had its wettest October for 11 years, with 112mm.
Some eastern suburbs recorded their wettest October since 1992.
Most of Tasmania was swamped by above-average rainfall during October. Hobart received 159mm and this was the wettest October since the 193mm received in 1947 and the fourth wettest in the past 180 years. The other wetter Octobers were in 1841 and 1906.
The period April to July next year also looks certain to be much wetter than average in Victoria.
Bicheno, Orford, Swansea and Scottsdale all had their wettest October on record. Orford's 176mm just beat the previous wettest October of 172mm in 1952.
It has been much warmer than normal the past three months in Darwin.
The mean maximum temperature for October was 34.5 degrees - the hottest since 34.7 in 2009 and equal to that of October 1973.
The mean minimum temperature for October of 26.6 was the hottest on record for October. Other very hot October mean minima (nights) were in 1889, 1893, 1928, 1955, 1971, 1987, 1989.
These episodes will lead to well above average rainfall in the coming months up to next February in the Eastern States. The period April to July next year also looks certain to be much wetter than average in Victoria.
