December 2006

RAINFALL

The drought continues. Despite a few days of light rain in the last few days of the month, Geelong only received around 8 mm altogether. As a result of similarly low rain in the Otways catchment our water supplies are down to 22%.

TEMPERATURE and OTHER FEATURES

The coldest Christmas day on record saw a maximum of only 15.2 degrees and contributed to a monthly mean 1.2 degrees below the long term average. Despite this there were 6 days over 30 degrees with the hottest (37.3C) recorded on both the 9th and 10th.

There was 1 thunder day (10th) and 1 hail day (25th). There were 8 very windy days with gusts exceeding 60 kph at Mt Duneed. Owing to the bushfires in northeastern Victoria there were 6 days on which a smoky haze covered the Geelong area.

R

GEELONG REGION Location Total for Month (mm) Monthly Average (mm) Aireys Inlet 28.6 40.1 Anakie 12.2 55.0 Anglesea na 48.0 Apollo Bay 32.6 63.6 Bacchus Marsh na 42.2 Ballan 10.4 45.9 Ballarat 15.4 52.5 Bannockburn 4.6 42.0 Barwon Heads 31.5 47.0 Bellbrae 25.9 54.0 Bells Beach na 54.0 Beeac 17.0 42.4 Benwerrin na n.a. Birregurra 14.0 43.4 Boonah 30.4 n.a. Cape Otway 16.6 52.7 Clifton Springs 25.0 n.a. Colac 16.6 46.6 Cressy 10.0 44.2 Curlewis 17.3 44.2 Dereel 16.8 44.2 Drysdale na 44.7 Durdidwarrah 11.8 n.a. Fiskville na n.a. Forrest na 73.0 Gellibrand 21.4 n.a. Gerangamete na n.a. Inverleigh 4.0 45.5 Lake Colac na 45.5 Lal Lal na n.a. Laverton 15.4 47.0 Lethbridge na 55.9 Melba Gully na n.a. Melbourne (City) 18.2 59.0 Meredith na n.a. Meredith (Darra) 7.2 51.8 Moriac 5.5 n.a. Mt Buninyong na n.a. Mt Cowley na n.a. Mt Mercer na n.a. Mt Sabine na n.a. Point Lonsdale 18.2 45.0 Pollocksford 6.4 n.a. Portarlington  na 45.5 Queenscliff  na 43.4 Shelford West  na 45.0 Shelford na 45.0 Sheoaks 5.5 42.0 Skipton 8.2 n.a. St Leonards 27.0 45.0 Teesdale 6.5 39.9 Torquay 33.0 40.0 Warncoort 21.0 n.a. Weeaproinah na 112.9 West Barwon  na n.a. Winchelsea  na 41.1 Wooloomanata n.a. You Yangs 6.5 n.a.

GEELONG SUBURBS Location Total for Month (mm) Monthly Average (mm) Avalon 8.0 49.0 Bell Park  na 47.8 Belmont 7.6 44.0 Connewarre 13.4 52.1 Ceres na 44.0 Corio 8.1 42.0 Drumcondra 6.4 42.0 Grovedale  na 44.2 Grovedale South na 44.2 Hamlyn Heights 3.7 57.0 Highton na 44.2 Lara 6.0 41.9 Lara (Serendip) 16.2 41.9 Leopold 22.5 63.9 Leopold East 19.9 42.0 Manifold Heights na 47.8 Mt Duneed Airport 9.8 42.2 Mt Duneed West  na 42.2 Waurn Ponds 7.0 42.2 Whittington 15.0 42.0 Urban Area Average 8.0 44.9

AINFALL DATA