WEATHER WATCH: Rain swamps eastern districts, rest of Victoria less so

Record daily October rainfalls included 198.8 millimetres at Mount Hotham, which has had only one wetter day, a reading of 271 millimetres on May 16, 1974.

Record daily October rainfalls were also set at Falls Creek, 149 millimetres, Lake Eildon, 108 millimetres, Eildon Fire Tower, 97.8 millimetres, Latrobe Valley, 96 millimetres, and Sale, 100.5 millimetres. Some of these places' previous wettest October day was on October 21, 1953, which was a dry year in our regions north from about Condobolin.

Most of Victoria did record above average rainfall in November 1953, but it dried out markedly in December 1953 with Melbourne recording 42 degrees, its highest December temperature since 1898. January of 1954 was a hot and humid month with a high frequency of thunderstorms and a heavy rain event arrived at the end of January and continued sporadically to mid-February 1954.

Since last week's heavy to flood rains which swamped eastern districts, temperatures have continued to stay below the October normals over all of Victoria and the Riverina and apart from a brief warm spell after Ceduna's 35 degrees on Tuesday, October 10.

The passage of a low pressure from south of Western Australia with an active cold front and further showery periods will keep maximum temperatures below normal for at least another week. In addition, a weak inland low pressure over the NSW-Queensland border which has brought rainfalls of 15 to 20 millimetres around Thargominda will prevent a warm to hot northerly airstream reaching Victoria.

In 1957 there was a separate heavy rain event just like this recent event in eastern Victoria. This lashed Tasmania with Hobart receiving 156 millimetres on September 15; its wettest ever day in 175 years of records. The southern fringe of Victoria also copped heavy falls in mid September 1957.

Melbourne had its coldest September day since 1905. It was another five weeks later on October 20, 1957, after weeks of below normal maxima when Melbourne had its hottest October day with 31 degrees since 1944. Other areas of Victoria missed out with only lighter falls and the severe dry conditions continued right through to December 1957 right up to inland areas of Queensland with maximum temperatures exceeding 40 degrees by the first week of November and reaching 46 degrees by mid December 1957.

Last month Lord Howe Island recorded its driest September with only 27 millimetres in 137 years of records. The previous driest September was 27.6 millimetres in 1938. From August 1938 right through to early February 1939 it was notably very dry and much warmer than usual over much of the eastern states and also South Australia. Victoria had Black Friday bushfires. Wilcannia recorded 50 degrees in January 1939 and many towns recorded maxima up to 48 degrees right up to Charleville and Longreach.

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