As the month of April drew to a close it continued to be hotter and very dry along most of the Western Australian coastline from Port Hedland to just south of Perth.
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Carnarvon with mean maximum temperature of 33.7 degrees will certainly have its hottest-ever April in 142 years of records. The previous hottest Aprils at Carnarvon were in 1890 and 1897. These two wetter Aprils did set a wetter than average winter in both Victoria and NSW .
Perth continued to be much hotter and drier during April. The total rainfall at Perth from October through to the end of April was only 22.8 millimetres, easily the driest on record. The previous driest was 57 millimetres in 1911-12.
My grandson Benjamin Nelson who lives in Cairns told me that further heavy rain has fallen during April, 336 millimetres on top of 891 during March. This makes a total of 1327 millimetres during both March and April in Cairns. This was the fourth wettest on record behind 1958 millimetres in 1887, 1475 in 1894 and 2228 in 1911.
Dry conditions across North East
Despite well above average rainfall of 130 millimetres in Melbourne which did make it the coldest April there since 1996 and above average rainfall at many centres including Coonabarabran, Dubbo, Parkes and Moree during April, it has been very dry in North East Victoria the last three weeks of April.
Only 0.2 millimetres have fallen around Wangaratta since April 9, the driest since 1945 and before that in 1927 and 1923. Other very dry last three weeks of April did occur in 1902, 1910, 1941 and in 1981.
At the other towns in the North East, Rutherglen has had no rain the last three weeks of April for the first time since 1967 and before that in 1923. Benalla has had only 0.4 millimetres during the last three weeks of April the driest since zero rainfall 101 years ago. Albury has had no rain also the last three weeks of April, equal driest with 1902, 1910, 1923 and 1997.
A very strong high pressure system of central pressure of 1043 millibars is approaching Tasmania. Such huge high pressure systems are more likely to occur from the end of May to early July. Currently a low pressure trough is forming over eastern NSW, which will lead to a significant rain event resulting in more than 50 millimetres in the central west of NSW and flood rainfalls along most of the NSW coast.
Unfortunately none of this rain will reach Victoria except for East Gippsland. Mild days after morning fog are expected with winds mainly north-east to south-east during the first week of May. The next significant rain event is due by mid-May.
