RAINFALL An interesting rainfall pattern has emerged from the July figures with wide variations across the region. A large swathe of land extending from Forrest and Colac up to Belmont received above average falls, while coastal areas from Bellbrae to the Bellarine Peninsula received less than half the average. A small triangle encompassing Sheoaks, Teesdale and Lara were all above…
Author: Lindsay Smail
June 2002
RAINFALL Above average rainfall in the Otways gave a welcome boost to Geelong’s water storages in June. The immediate Geelong district was also mainly above average, but not to as great an extent, with most of the urban area recording over 45 mm for the month. Eastward across the Bellarine Peninsula, and northward from Avalon, low totals were the result…
May 2002
RAINFALL Several large variations in rainfall totals have occurred over the Geelong region during May, according to Lindsay Smail, Director of Geelong Weather Services. Even although high totals over 170 mm were recorded in parts of the Otways, this was still about 15% short of the average. Most other districts also received below average rainfall, eg, Forrest (65%), Bannockburn (65%),…
April 2002
RAINFALL Below average rainfall again characterised most of the Geelong region in April. The urban area averaged 28 mm, with the northern and eastern suburbs achieving a little more, but still below the district average of 40 mm. Apart from a 12-hour period on the 12th-13th, most of the month was dry, dominated by high pressure ridges and southeasterly winds.…
March 2002
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…
February 2002
RAINFALL Above average rainfall across the region was caused entirely by the heavy downpours and thunderstorms in the early morning of the 8th, during which parts of the Beeac-Lismore district recorded around 150 mm in less than six hours. The Geelong urban area received an average of 40 mm at that time, and around 45 for the month. Surfcoast towns…
February 2002
RAINFALL Above average rainfall across the region was caused entirely by the heavy downpours and thunderstorms in the early morning of the 8th, during which parts of the Beeac-Lismore district recorded around 150 mm in less than six hours. The Geelong urban area received an average of 40 mm at that time, and around 45 for the month. Surfcoast towns…
January 2002
TEMPERATURE “This was a much cooler January than normal,” according to Lindsay Smail, Director of Geelong Weather Services. The average maximum of 23.1 degrees and minimum of 11.7 degrees were both around two degrees cooler than the long-term average for Geelong, making the average temperature 17.4 degrees. It was not our coldest ever; that was in 1957 when the average…
Summary of 2001 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 Warmest January since 1981. 9 days over 30 deg including 5 over 35. Top 40.4 deg on 11th. 14 cloudy days. Average max 26.7 Jan av max. is 25.2. Average min 15.1. Average is…
December 2001
RAINFALL “Below average rain in December did little to disappoint after a fantastic 2001,” according to Lindsay Smail, Director of Geelong Weather Services. An average of 37 mm fell across the city in December and a huge 647 mm for the year – the average is about 540 mm. Most districts in the region received below average rains for the…
October 2001
RAINFALL Rainfall was well above average across most of the region – the urban area received between 55 and 80 mm and the Otways water catchment registered in excess of 140 mm. The best 24-hour falls in the urban area resulted in over 20 mm on the 23rd and rain fell in Geelong on 24 days, well above the average…
September 2001
RAINFALL AND WIND “A drier month overall” was how Lindsay Smail, Director of Geelong Weather Services described September’s rainfall across the region. He said most areas received only between 50% and 65% of their expected falls, but that in most cases farmers had sufficient rain in view of the present adequate soil-moisture levels, brought about by good rains earlier in…
August 2001
RAINFALL “August has been all we had hoped for, and more,” said Lindsay Smail, Director of Geelong Weather Services. “The catchments are at over 80% of capacity, farm dams are full and spring growth is well on the way,” he continued. All parts of the region received above average rainfall for the month, with urban Geelong averaging 70 mm and…