RAINFALL
Most areas of the region received average and above average rainfall in August. The Otway catchment was fractionally below average but water supplies still stand at over 71%, a good situation for this time of year. The Geelong urban area averaged 60mm, from 45mm at Belmont to 73mm at Mt Duneed West.
TEMPERATURES
August was warmer than normal by just 0.45 degrees. There were two very windy days (14th & 20th) and two hail days (2nd & 13th) but no thunderstorms were reported in the immediate district.
OTHER FEATURES
A “Normal” Winter
With average daily temperatures just deviating by a few tenths of a degree from the long-term normals, Geelong’s winter could be described as having been fairly unspectacular.
Average temperatures for the June to August period were 14.5 degrees (average max) and 6.2 degrees (average min). This equates to a winter 0.35 degrees milder than normal.
Total rainfall across the region was generally above average, except for a few pockets around the Bannockburn-Sheoaks areas. Urban Geelong confounded the forecasters as it received 174mm which was well above the winter average of 132mm.
There have been some interesting occurrences which could have become lost in the averages: · Our Otways storages fared very well and heavy rains have boosted the catchments to 72% of capacity – or up from 56% at this time last year. · There were five days on which hail was observed, and a brief light snow flurry at Newtown on 7th July. Normally in winter Geelong does not see snow, and probably only one or two hail days. · There were some remarkable temperature variations: from eight frosty days (the average is nine) to three consecutive days over 20 degrees in August. Such a prolonged warm spell in August is not common, the last one occurring in 1995. · One of our coldest ever August days occurred on the 14th, when the maximum reached only 9.4 degrees. On that day at 3pm, with the temperature only 6 degrees and the wind gusting around 40 kph, the wind chill was a frigid minus ten degrees. Numerous local footballers were treated for hypothermia.
RAINFALL DATA
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