Weather Watch: Warm winters the norm as season draws to a close

Coonabarabran has recorded its warmest winter since 1888 with mean maximum temperatures for June to August being 16.5, 17,0 and 20.6 respectively. In 1888 the mean maximum readings from June to August were 18.4, 17.8 and 20.7 respectively in Coonabarabran.

Narrabri recorded its warmest winter since 1877. Moree recorded its warmest winter also since 1888.

In the Maranoa and Warrego District of Queensland, Roma and Charleville both recorded their warmest winter on record. Emerald had its warmest winter since 1926.

Further south to Victoria, the winter season was not so very warmer than normal.

Most places in the Riverina and Victoria had their warmest winter since 2013.

In Tasmania Hobart recorded its warmest winter in 148 years of records, and along the east coast of Tasmania, St Helens had its warmest winter since 2009.

In Gippsland, Sale, Orbost and Gabo Island all had their warmest winter since 2009.

Many places in our regions did record their warmest August alone on record in 2009 and this certainly set up very dry conditions during the spring season with dangerously high fire danger by November with maximum temperatures from Victoria up to outback Queensland around 42 degrees.

However heavy rain arrived in late December 2009 and early January 2010.

Over the last few days, record late August heat occurred at Eucla in the far south east of Western Australia, the temperature reached 34.4 degrees.

There were very high temperatures previously in 1912, 1982, 1994 and 2019 at Eucla. The rest of those four years it was much warmer and drier in Victoria and this continued into January with very dangerous fire conditions.

Looking at the year 1888, it was very dry and much warmer than usual for the rest of that year with maximum temperatures in Coonabarabran topping 35 degrees late October, 41 degrees late November, 42 degrees early December, 41 in January and 43 degrees late February 1889. Few places did get relief rainfalls during early January of 1889.

Closer to home, Bendigo recorded 42 in late November of 1888; and then 43 degrees mid-January 1889.

In the Riverina Hay recorded 44.7 mid January while Deniliquin recorded 48.2 in mid-January of 1889, after 44 degrees late November and again in December 1888.

Actually the summer of 1888-1889 was wetter than average at Albury, Wangaratta and at Deniliquin as a result of just two heavy rain events, one at the end of December and early January and the second one in early February 1889.

Interestingly the year 1889 turned out to be exceptionally wet with flood rains in April and again in late May of 1889. It will be a wet 2024 indeed.

RELATED: Weather Watch: Dry conditions set in with a vengeance this month

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