January 2012

RAINFALL

Summer in Geelong continues to be drier than usual, but in January there was a wide variation in rainfall totals across the city. The Racecourse weather station recorded 32.6 mm, and this is below the 37.3 mm average at theold site at Mt Duneed. Most of the southern suburbs fared worse, with Belmont, Grovedale, Waurn Ponds and Mt Duneedonly totalling from 11 to 20 mm for the month.

In contrast, some northern suburbs were above average, with Bell Post Hill showing 45 mm.

The You Yangs however, in a well-attested rain shadow, only received 4.5 mm.Most of the rain fell on only two days, by 9 am on the 8th and the 31st.

The West Barwon Dam at Forrest, and much of the Otways received average to above average falls, and the catchmentsare holding good for this time of year at 79.9%, which is a great consolation.

TEMPERATURE

Average daily maximum was 26.0 degrees C and minimum 15.1 degrees C. Allowing for the site difference, this indicates Geelong’s January temperatures were about one degree C warmer than the average at the old airport site.

There were 7 days over 30 degrees – the average number of such days is 5.0 – and the maximum temperaturewas 41.8 C on the 2nd. Highest overnight minimum was 21.9 C on the 30th.

There were 3 days of strong winds with gusts above 60 kilometres per hour. The strongest gust was 70 kmh, on both the 11th and the 30th. There were no severe storms although minor flash flooding occurred on the 8th in several places.

RAINFALL DATA