It has continued to be notably dry over a huge area of the nation.
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One place of particular interest has had one of its driest June to September periods on records. At Yamba the June to September period this year at 70.4 millimetres was almost the driest in 146 years of records just shy of the 1905 record of 70.2 millimetres. The early part of 1904 up to May was much wetter than usual at Yamba, which also did happen from February to May last year.
It was notably very dry and hotter than usual from November 1905 right through to early March 1906 in our regions, then widespread heavy rain arrived during the first week of March 1906 with some areas having major floods. The very heavy rain arrived at both Charleville and Roma much earlier at the beginning of February 1906 and by March 2, 1906, both towns had recorded 400 millimetres of rainfalls. It was interesting to note during that summer in Victoria, Mildura recorded a maximum temperature of 50.7 degrees on January 23, 1906.
Casino, west of Lismore, has also recorded only 42 millimetres this year during the June to September region. This was the driest for this period since 34 millimetres in 2004. Other dry June to September periods at Casino in the last 161 years were in 1905, 1947, 1953, 1994 and 1995. The late spring and summer out of these cases tended to be warmer than usual with the heaviest rainfalls being in November and in February.
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The trouble spot has been at Cocos Keeling Island where the July to October period this year to October 22 has recorded 61 millimetres and does look set to be the driest in 122 years of records, breaking the previous driest such period of 71 millimetres in 1986. October of 1986 was generally wetter and colder in Victoria. Both January and February 1987 saw high temperatures in our regions with rainfalls a little above average, but March 1987 was colder and very wet at many towns.
Melbourne has recorded its coldest October since 2003 but from November 2003 up to February 2004 it was notably warmer than normal. It was also dry until heavy rain arrived during the third week of January due to a monsoonal low which came from Queensland in which my grandson, Benjamin, became interested when he stayed with myself in Coonabarabran. Further heavy rain arrived near the end of February 2004 just after 41.3 degrees on February 18.
A tropical cyclone has appeared on the synoptic weather charts on Sunday, October 22. This was easily the earliest date a tropical cyclone has formed. Tropical cyclone Lola is currently located around the Fiji region with winds up to 200kmh and the central pressure is very low at 960mbs. The previous earliest dates a tropical cyclone has formed in the southern hemisphere was tropical cyclone Joan in early December 1975 (exactly when my number two son, David, was born). In early December 1991, tropical cyclone Graham formed. This will certainly make things very interesting for the coming months. By contrast the arrival of the wet season in Darwin is well behind schedule. It has been the driest, with only 1.6 millimetres to October 24, at this point since 1982.
RELATED:
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