RAINFALL
“A miserable result,” was the conclusion of Lindsay Smail, Director of Geelong Weather Services, after March’s low rainfall totals. Across the Geelong region, totals were as low as 2 mm around Colac and Beeac, and further ranged from 6 mm at Mt Duneed to 26 mm at Avalon. Main reason for the local difference was the thunderstorms on the 25th, which dumped up to 20 mm on the northern suburbs and Leopold.
TEMPERATURE
Temperatures were just below average for the month. The average maximum of 23.1 degrees (compared with 23.5) and minimum of 11.9 (average 12.8) meant that Geelong fell below average by 0.6 degrees. This was the sixth month running of below average temperatures. Four days reached over 30 degrees and the top temperature reached 35.3 degrees on the 18th.
OTHER FEATURES
A strange anomaly occurred on the 25th when the maximum temperature for the day reached 27.5 degrees at 12.30 am before dropping to a minimum of 17 just before 8 am. After such a hot night the daylight maximum only reached 24.5 degrees later in the day. The month produced just one thunder day with spectacular lightning over Corio Bay, as well as an ominously rotating wall cloud, both on the 25th. A sun halo was photographed on the 16th, produced by the reflection of the sun’s rays shining through the ice crystals of a thin layer of high-based cirrus cloud.
RAINFALL DATA
| GEELONG REGION |
 Location |
Total for
Month
(mm) |
Monthly
Average
(mm) |
| Aireys Inlet |
14.4 |
45.7 |
| Anglesea |
7.2 |
41.0 |
| Apollo Bay |
21.2 |
69.6 |
| Bacchus Marsh |
9.6 |
44.8 |
| Ballan |
28.2 |
34.0 |
| Ballarat |
9.0 |
44.4 |
| Bannockburn |
11.2 |
39.0 |
| Barwon Heads |
18.5 |
43.0 |
| Bellbrae |
25.0 |
37.7 |
| Beeac |
2.6 |
40.4 |
| Benwerrin |
|
65.0 |
| Birregurra |
1.6 |
41.4 |
| Boonah |
|
64.0 |
| Cape Otway |
14.4 |
55.8 |
| Clifton Springs |
|
59.0 |
| Colac |
2.4 |
44.2 |
| Cressy |
|
45.0 |
| Drysdale |
|
59.4 |
| Durdidwarrah |
17.9 |
53.1 |
| Forrest (West Barwon) |
12.0 |
62.8 |
| Forrest (Town) |
12.8 |
62.0 |
| Gellibrand |
11.8 |
60.2 |
| Inverleigh |
4.0 |
43.0 |
| Lal Lal |
19.4 |
54.4 |
| Laverton |
38.6 |
36.0 |
| Lethbridge |
11.4 |
36.0 |
| Little River West |
26.0 |
32.0 |
| Melba Gully |
67.0 |
n.a. |
| Melbourne (City) |
21.0 |
52.0 |
| Meredith (Darra) |
21.6 |
51.6 |
| Morrisons |
19.2 |
50.8 |
| Modewarre |
|
36.0 |
| Mount Cowley |
17.8 |
66.1 |
| Mount Mercer |
17.2 |
50.5 |
| Mount Sabine |
28.4 |
70.2 |
| Paraparap |
|
36.0 |
| Pollocksford |
22.8 |
40.6 |
| Portarlington |
18.0 |
45.7 |
| Queenscliff |
23.3 |
44.5 |
| Queenscliff Fort |
|
44.5 |
| Scotsburn |
19.6 |
58.0 |
| Shelford |
7.0 |
38.0 |
| Sheoaks |
10.0 |
38.0 |
| Skipton |
7.2 |
38.0 |
| St Leonards |
20.0 |
45.0 |
| Teesdale |
|
45.7 |
| Torquay |
14.7 |
36.0 |
| Wallington |
|
51.0 |
| Weeaproinah |
62.6 |
112.8 |
| Werribee |
|
41.4 |
| Winchelsea |
4.6 |
36.1 |
| Wurdi Boluc |
3.0 |
38.0 |
|
 |
| GEELONG SUBURBS |
| Location |
Total for
Month
(mm) |
Monthly
Average
(mm) |
| Avalon |
26.4 |
31.0 |
| Bell Park |
7.8 |
37.4 |
| Belmont |
10.5 |
31.9 |
| City |
6.2 |
42.0 |
| Cloverdale |
|
35.0 |
| Connewarre |
8.9 |
27.0 |
| Corio |
9.0 |
35.0 |
| East Belmont |
9.9 |
31.9 |
| Grovedale |
7.0 |
41.7 |
| Hamlyn Heights |
6.0 |
35.0 |
| Highton |
|
40.3 |
| Lara |
19.2 |
36.6 |
| Lara (Serendip) |
22.5 |
36.6 |
| Leopold South |
|
32.5 |
| Leopold East |
23.6 |
32.5 |
| Manifold Heights |
|
37.4 |
| Mt Duneed Airport |
6.8 |
41.7 |
| Mt Duneed West |
9.3 |
28.1 |
| St Albans Park |
9.2 |
42.0 |
| Whittington |
|
42.0 |
| Urban Area Average |
12.0 |
34.6 |
|
