RAINFALL
Most of the region received below average rainfall for August, except for the actual Geelong urban area most of which recorded around 50 mm and which represents 110% of the normal amount. Rain fell on 13 days and varied from 32.2 mm at Avalon to over 60 mm at Grovedale South.
Most of the Otways and Moorabool catchment areas received below average rains but the water supplies are still at 84%.
TEMPERATURES
A very close to “normal” temperature month is shown in the figures below. Average minimums were 6.0 and maximums were 14.9, leading to a monthly mean equal to the most recent 30-year average: 10.5 degrees. Geelong’s lowest daily minimum was 0.7 degrees on the 3rd, and the highest daily maximum was 22.4 degrees on the 31st.
OTHER FEATURES
There were three frosts in Geelong in August and no severe storms. A heavy thunderstorm, complete with much thunder and lightning, occurred on the 23rd, dumping 15 mm of rain, but no damage was recorded. On the 1st the only strong wind gust measuring 69 kph at Breakwater was experienced, but again, no damage was caused. Snow fell in the Otways on the 1st, and in Geelong there was some hail and graupel with the temperature only rising to 10.6 degrees that day.
WINTER WEATHER SUMMARY for GEELONG, 2014
| 30-YEAR WINTER AVERAGES | WINTER 2014 | ||||||||
| MONTH | Av Max° | Av Min° | Mean° | Rain in mm | Av Max° | Av Min° | Mean° | Urban Area Rain in mm | |
| June | 14.5 | 6.3 | 10.4 | 46.1 | 15.4 | 8.0 | 11.7 | 60.0 | |
| July | 13.9 | 5.6 | 9.8 | 43.6 | 14.0 | 7.2 | 10.6 | 40.0 | |
| August | 15.0 | 6.0 | 10.5 | 46.9 | 14.9 | 6.0 | 10.5 | 50 | |
| WINTER | 14.4 | 6.0 | 10.3 | 136.6 | 14.8 | 7.1 | 10.9 | 150 | |
| RANK | – | – | – | – | 15th highest since 1903 | Highest since 1903* | 5th highest since 1903 | 54th highest since 1871 | |
| BoM outlooks for winter. | 80% above avge likely | 80% above avge likely | 80% above avge likely | 43% above avge likely | Correct | Correct | Correct | Not correct | |
CONCLUSIONS for Winter 2014:
- Winter temperatures were approximately 0.7° warmer than the 30-year normal.
- Winter daytime maximums were 0.3° higher and overnight minimums 1.1° higher, a new record.*
- Winter temperatures 2014 ranked 5th highest in 111 years of record.
- Winter rainfall was 110% higher than the long-term average for urban Geelong generally.
- Bureau of Meteorology temperature outlooks for a warmer winter were correct.
- Bureau outlooks for lower winter rainfall in Geelong were incorrect.
RAINFALL DETAILS FOR AUGUST 2014
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||