April 2021

A wild storm cast heavy rocks on the Great Ocean Road near Port Fairy on the 11th. Photo courtesy Scott Gray.

Global Wi-Fi Project reveals unusual light pattern above the Geelong sky on the 12th. Photo courtesy Bay FM.

Full moon over Geelong on the 27th. Photo courtesy Doug Smail.

SUMMARY

Generally a slightly warmer than normal and a much drier month characterised April this year.

TEMPERATURE

Three consecutive days (1st to 3rd) exceeded 30 degrees C with the maximum recording 34.5 C on the 3rd of April.  A 3 consecutive days’ run of over 30 C in April has happened just 3 times in Geelong’s history since 1903:  

  1.  1922 (15th to 17th April) averaged 33.6 C.
  2.  1985 (11th to 13th April) averaged 32.9 C.
  3.  2021 (1st to 3rd April) averaged 31.6 C.

All up this year there were four days over 30 degrees and it was this factor that mainly resulted in Geelong’s above average temperature.  Daily minimums averaged 10.4 C for the month (long term average is 9.9 degrees) and maximums averaged 20.5 C (compared to 20.5 degrees).  Consequently the daily mean was 15.5 C, compared to the monthly mean of 15.2 C.

RAINFALL

Geelong’s urban area averaged 18 mm compared to the most recent 30-year average of 41.1 mm.  Rainfall occurred on eleven days and the wettest day was only 6.0 mm on the 12th.  Obviously El Nino had ended last month and no outlooks show any improvements next month although an early release suggests some good rain next week.

OTHER FEATURES

Geelong’s water catchments show 66 % of capacity.

Strong wind days with gusts over 60 km/h totalled three. The windiest period was from the 10th to the 15th and the maximum gust reached 63 km/h on the 14th.  Avalon’s windiest day reached 74 km/h on the 14th.

On the morning of the fourth the minimum temperature was not recorded by the Bureau of Meteorology and Geelong Weather Services had to patch the figure of 11.3 C to provide a complete record. 

RAINFALL DATA

GEELONG REGION
Location Total for
Month
(mm)
Monthly
Average
(mm)
Aireys Inlet 23.8 50.5
Anakie 18.9 41.0
Apollo Bay 71.4 85.2
Bacchus Marsh 12.4 42.4
Balliang East 14.2 38.0
Ballarat Aero 20.6 53.8
Bannockburn 14.6 42.0
Barwon Heads Golf Club 24.2 51.0
Ballan 26.4 45.0
Beech Forest (Fly) 153.8 147.3
Bellbrae 36.8 52.4
Bells Beach na 52.4
Benwerrin 62.6 n.a.
Cape Otway 59.4 72.3
Colac 28.2 59.0
Clifton Springs na 48.3
Curlewis 22.8 48.0
Drysdale 36.0 48.3
Forrest (West Barwon) 67.8 74.3
Inverleigh 19.2 48.0
Lal Lal 27.8 n.a.
Laverton 18.8 49.0
Lethbridge na 57.0
Melbourne 36.0 58.0
Meredith (Darra) 28.2 58.2
Moriac 21.7 45.0
Mt Cowley 78.2 n.a.
Mt Gellibrand 20.6 n.a.
Mt Mercer 42.0 n.a.
Mt Sabine 97.0 129.0
Ocean Grove 25.0 52.0
Pt Lonsdale 20.4 52.0
Queenscliff 28.2 48.3
Shelford 19.0 44.0
Sheoaks 14.6 n.a.
Skipton 33.7 n.a.
St Leonards 22.6 50.0
Sutherlands Creek 14.6 42.0
Werribee 19.8 46.0
GEELONG SUBURBS
Location Total for
Month
(mm)
Monthly
Average
(mm)
Armstrong Creek 23.6 48.0
Avalon 16.6 46.7
Bell Post Hill 15.5 45.1
Belmont 12.0 43.5
Breakwater 15.8 45.4
Charlemont na 41.0
Corio 13.6 39.0
Grovedale 22.0 43.5
Grovedale South 23.2 43.5
Herne Hill 10.0 43.0
Highton 18.6 43.4
Lara 13.2 39.1
Leopold North 32.0 50.2
Leopold East na 50.2
Manifold Heights 16.9 43.0
Marshall 18.8 42.0
Queens Park 14.0 44.0
Whittington 19.6 43.0
Geelong Urban Area Average 18.0 41.1

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