The first half of March has continued the notable hotter than normal trend in our regions which began last December.
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Maximum temperatures during the first half of March were three to four degrees above normal at most districts from Victoria to southern Queensland.
Dry conditions have persisted from the last week of January and several towns recorded their driest first half of March since 1986.
Sydney looks set to record its hottest December to March period for 26 years including the driest first half of March since 1965, but early Sunday morning there was deluge of 36 millimetres.
Up to mid-March Coonabarabran is experiencing its hottest December to March period since 1997-1998 and before that in 1982-1983 and 1902-1903. For Moree, the December to March period was the hottest since December 1951 to March 1952 and before that in 1918-1919 and 1888-1889.
Generally speaking the current very dry conditions after these findings are not expected to last beyond mid-April in our regions. The majority of months for the rest this year will be wetter than average.
Cyclone Megan brings heavy rain
A new cyclone named Megan has formed near the Top End of Northern Territory, giving Groote Eylandt its wettest-ever day with 431 millimetres to Sunday morning, March 17. Cyclone Megan intensified during Sunday and brought heavy to flood rains to Centre Island and Borroloola.
The 48-hour rainfall at Centre Island reached 513 millimetres, half the annual average. Wind gusts at Centre Island reached 170kmh at 3pm on Monday, March 18; the barometer fell to the very low value of 976mbs. To date at Centre Island the March rainfall has reached 806 millimetres and this took the yearly total to 1816, nearly double the annual average. This is easily the wettest January-March period in 68 years. The previous wettest January to March was 1568 millimetres in 1985.
We had a warm summery autumn in 1985 with a marked hot spell the second week of April. Heavy rain arrived just after mid-April and more of the same during the third week of May 1985. Southern parts of Victoria did get significant rainfalls late in March and again in early April.
Prefrontal thunderstorms did produce light to moderate rainfalls in northern Victoria on Tuesday, March 19, but the rest of Victoria remained dry.
A cooler change is on its way, the first significant cold outbreak of the season, with a return to warmer days likely next week and again by Easter.
