RAINFALL
Rainfall was about 25-30% above average for July. But published rainfall averages for Geelong are very misleading. The Bureau of Meteorology publishes at least two different average figures for Geelong: 41.9mm in the daily paper and 52.9mm on the internet, so we at Geelong Weather Services use the last 30 years composite data for the urban area which is 43.5mm. This July most of Geelong received around 58-60mm of rain, so that would put us about 30% above average, a good result no matter how it is calculated.
The best 24-hour period occurred when 14.0mm was recorded at Mt Duneed on the 1st.
Barwon catchment areas recorded amounts very close to average. West Barwon and Mt Sabine received slightly above average results but the catchment floor has been so dry for so long that runoff rates have still not responded very favourably. It will take a long time to get back to normal and the storages are still at around 26% of capacity.
TEMPERATURES
July in Geelong was approximately one degree colder than the long-term normal published by the Bureau of Meteorology. Maximums were 0.5 degree lower and minimums 1.4 degrees lower than the mean. Minimum temperatures at the Bureau of Meteorology Mt Duneed weather station dropped to frost level or below (2 degrees C) on nine occasions – the normal for July is four. The coldest morning was the 25th when the mercury dropped to minus 0.2, but on the 29th the minimum at Geelong Weather Services installation at Grovedale recorded minus 1.4.
On the coldest day (27th) the maximum temperature only reached 10.5 and the warmest day was the 6th with 17.7. Following a warmer June, this winter’s overall result is still in the balance.
OTHER FEATURES
There were four days of very strong winds, up to 87kph on the 1st at Mt Duneed, with some minor damage reported. Lightning was seen on the evening of the 27th to Geelong’s southwest and a sun halo in the sky on the 25th. This happens when the sun shines through a layer of icy cirrus cloud causing a weak, circular rainbow-like effect around the sun.
RAINFALL DATA
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