At Mackay, the mean maximum temperature of 20.2 degrees was more than two degrees below normal and the coldest in July since 1977. At both Townsville and Hamilton Island, it was the coldest July since 1989. Proserpine had its coldest July since 1969.

Further north, Cairns recorded its coldest July since 1985. Both Charleville and Roma also had their coldest July since 1989. Roma had its wettest July, with 46.6mm since the 77.2mm in 2001.

Moree recorded its coldest July since 1989 following the coldest June since 2007, whilst Coonabarabran had its coldest July in seven years. Despite record July rain in Sydney, which recorded 404mm, most places recorded below average rainfall for July except for 58.6mm at Dubbo; 90.8mm at Peak Hill; 50.4mm at Forbes and 45.8mm at Bourke.

The total rainfall at Coonabarabran in July was 41.1mm, around 10mm below average.

The North East of Victoria and part of the Riverina was hit hard by frequent frosts and rainfall half the average during July.

Wangaratta had 23 days of frosts - the most in July since 26 days in 1982. The mean minimum temperature of minus 1.1 degrees is the coldest in July since minus 1.6 in 1997.

The very cold airmass, which hit the region in early June, gradually transported across to the Kimberley region during July.

During July, Broome recorded a mean minimum temperature of 10.4 degrees, the coldest in July since 1994 and before that in 1967 and 1949 and 1896.

There was a significant fall in minimum temperatures from 16.5 in June to 10.4 in July at Broome - the biggest such temperature fall in 130 years of records.

Other significant temperature falls from June to July in the same year were in 1965 and 1955. The latter case of 1955 occurred when very heavy rain fell at Cocos Island in July, which occurred in July this year.

August 1955 was a very wet and unsettled month in Victoria and maximum temperatures were slightly above normal.

September and October 1955 were also very wet and a little warmer than usual but November was colder and wetter.

The Southern Oscillation Index in July was plus 8.7, making it 16 successive months of positive values and is now approaching the longest period of positive monthly values. This occurred previously in 2010 to 2011, 1973 to 1974, 1955 to 1956, 1916 to 1917 and 1889 to 1890.

Currently, the surface synoptic chart shows a very deep low pressure of central pressure of 966 mbs just south of Western Australia, very similar to what happened in early August of 1955.

The charts of 1955, which I have kept for 67 years, show that Melbourne recorded the lowest barometer reading of 983 mbs for August on record on August 8, 1955.