RAINFALL Geelong, the Bellarine Peninsula and the Moorabool catchment fared quite badly in June rainfalls, according to Lindsay Smail, Director of Geelong Weather Services. Most of the city received only around 18mm, from 14mm at Lara to 22mm at Mt Duneed. The urban average for the month is about 50mm. Slightly better news was the fact that the Otways catchment…
Author: Lindsay Smail
May 2003
RAINFALL Geelong now has had below average rainfall for 15 months out of the last 18. Forrest in our Otways water catchment is not doing much better, with a tally of 13 months during the same period. The Moorabool catchment is is the same situation, and the result is that our catchments are now down to 43% of capacity. To…
April 2003
RAINFALL “Some good drenching rains over a 4-day period in the middle of the month helped create an above-average rainfall April for Geelong, the first such month since June last year” said Lindsay Smail of Geelong Weather Services. In the 16 months since January, 2002, Geelong has only had 511 mm, about 80% of its normal rainfall. The Otway catchments…
March 2003
RAINFALL A large area of the Geelong district received well below average rainfall for March – from only around 12 mm at Inverleigh and Lethbridge to little more than 20 mm across the Geelong Urban Area. Despite this gloomy pattern heavier falls than average were recorded at Queenscliff (56 mm) and the Otways ridge (Mt Sabine 174 mm) and the…
March 2003
RAINFALL A large area of the Geelong district received well below average rainfall for March – from only around 12 mm at Inverleigh and Lethbridge to little more than 20 mm across the Geelong Urban Area. Despite this gloomy pattern heavier falls than average were recorded at Queenscliff (56 mm) and the Otways ridge (Mt Sabine 174 mm) and the…
February 2003
RAINFALL “The seventh month in a row of below average rainfall for Geelong”, summed up February, according to Geelong Weather Services Director Lindsay Smail. With the urban area only averaging 20 mm for the month, Geelong’s rainfall since August last year has only been around 60% of normal. Despite a couple of good days recently, the region continues to suffer…
January 2003
TEMPERATURE Despite the record-breaking day on Saturday, 25th, where the mercury topped 44.8 degrees and eclipsed the previous 95-year record, January was fractionally cooler than the long-term average. Daily minimums averaged 12.5 degrees compared to 13.6 and maximums were almost identical: 25.3 over 25.2. Seven days reached 30 degrees compared with the January average of six. There was smoke in…
Summary of 2002 Weather
( Figures are from the Bureau of Meteorology station at Mount Duneed ) Weather Conditions Temps (deg C) Rainfall (mm) Cumulative Rainfall Comments J A N Jan 1st was the coldest since 1970. 4 days over 30 degrees, incl 37.4 max on 26th. Coolest max was 17.9 on 21st. Average max 23.1 Jan average max. is 25.2. Average min 11.7.…
December 2002
RAINFALL Another disappointing rainfall month was only partly alleviated by late rains on the 31st which fell too late to be included in the December totals, which averaged around 25 mm for the urban area and only 70% of normal across the region. Despite this, with water storages at 65% of capacity, there is no outlook for water restrictions this…
November 2002
RAINFALL Around half the average rainfall for November was received in the Geelong-Otways Region. Even this poor showing was better than the meager amounts falling just to Geelong’s north, where Lara only received 19 mm and Laverton 12mm. Most of the rain fell in the period 24th to 26th when early morning thunderstorms helped to contribute 20 mm or more…
October 2002
RAINFALL “Geelong’s rainfall for October was in the lowest 20% of all recorded falls since 1871,” said Lindsay Smail, Director of Geelong Weather Services yesterday, when commenting on the poor monthly regional rainfalls. Geelong’s 27 mm was only half of that normally expected in October, and the city had only had 60% of the rain it normally gets up until…
September 2002
RAINFALL AND WIND “The windiest September for many years”, was how Lindsay Smail, Director of Geelong Weather Services, described the month past. “There were 12 days on which the region had wind gusts exceeding gale force in strength,” he added. Maximum gust was 112 kph at Point Lonsdale on the 18th, and there were numerous occasions of severe storm force…
August 2002
RAINFALL August’s rainfall was generally below average over most of the Geelong-Otways Region. Over the urban area the totals were about 68% of the long-term average, and in the Otways catchment the proportion was around the same. There were some pockets of heavier falls, notably at Bellbrae, Paraparap, Teesdale and St Leonards. TEMPERATURES The average temperatures were very close to…