WEATHER WATCH: Strong high pressure system likely to stay across region

Mandora recorded 40.7 degrees, Jabiru recorded 40 degrees whilst Borrolooa recorded 40.7 degrees which was a new record high for September, surpassing the previous record of 40.6 in September last year. Marble Bar recorded 41.6 two days later which was very close to the highest September record of 42.6 in 1942.

Other very high September temperatures have had a very strong tendency to set up a continuation of the very dry and notably warmer than normal conditions for the rest of the year and into the next year. One of the highest September temperatures at Marble Bar took place in 1938.

Melbourne will now certainly have its driest July to September in 183 years of records. The total rainfall since the beginning of July up to September 24 has reached 53.8 millimetres and is still 10 millimetres below the record driest July to September of 66.4 in 1928.

A strong high pressure system looks set to park itself across our region up to early October.

Rutherglen has now had 17 successive days without any rain and if it does not rain until early October it will be Rutherglen's longest spell without any rainfall since 1946.

The period November 1946 to February 1947 was notably warmer but with frequent thunderstorms apart from bushfires in January which wiped out parts of Western Victoria mainly in the Otways.

Most places in our regions have been very dry since April last.

To date up to September 24, Coonabarabran has recorded 104 millimetres since the beginning of April, the sixth driest behind 83 millimetres in 1982, 67 millimetres in 1994, 68, 78 and 80 millimetres in three successive April to September periods from 2017 to 2019.

Other nearby towns have been worse off with Moree recording 62 millimetres, Mungindi recording only 46.6 millimetres and Collarenebri 40 millimetres which all had their fourth driest April to September periods in the last 145 years; the driest were in 1888, 1994 and 2019.

For a change there has been heavy rain along the coast from Cooktown to Innisfail during the June to September period.

Cooktown has recorded its wettest September with 130 millimetres in 143 years of records, the previous wettest September being 99 millimetres in 1972. It was notably warmer and drier in Victoria from May 1972 to December 1972 with very high temperatures in December and early January of 1973. Both Innisfail and Babinda have had their wettest June to September period this year since 2010.

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