RAINFALL
A month of below average rainfall was the result of October’s ten rain days. Breakwater had 27.6 mm and the urban area averaged around 28 mm compared to the 30-year mean of 52.3 mm. The Otways and the Bellarine Peninsula were both below average.
This was Geelong’s first below-average rainfall month since July.
With only two months to go until the end of the year Geelong’s accumulated rainfall is now 512 mm, almost up to the total annual average figure of 518 mm.
TEMPERATURES
October was generally warmer than normal, Nights were 1.1° C warmer than the 30-year average (8.4 C) and days were 1.3° C warmer, making the mean temperature warmer by 1.2° C.
The coldest night dropped to 5.0 C on the 15th and on the coldest day – the 21st – the mercury only rose to 15.1 C. At night-times the warmest temperature was 17.6 C on the 19th and the highest daytime temperature reached 32.1 C on the 18th. There were two days (17th and 18th) over 30 degrees C.
It wasn’t a very windy month but Harry de Wit captured some good spray photos of the Surf Coast.
OTHER FEATURES
There were two very windy days with gusts above 60 kph. The strongest gust was 67 km/h on the 29th.
There was one thunder-day on the 8th.
No important records were created and the Barwon catchment stands at 78% of capacity.
Predictions for the coming warmer months are ambivalent, but some weather watchers are forecasting the possibility of higher rainfall in November given the La Nina watch just issued by the BoM.
This shows a higher probability of above average rainfalls in southeastern Australia owing to warmer than normal Pacific Ocean trends recently.
RAINFALL DATA
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| GEELONG SUBURBS | ||
 Location |
Total for Month (mm) |
Monthly Average (mm) |
| Avalon | 32.2 | 40.9 |
| Bell Park | 31.2 | 55.9 |
| Belmont | 29.0 | 57.0 |
| Breakwater Racecourse | 27.6 | 51.0 |
| Ceres | na | 50.0 |
| Connewarre | 24.8 | 57.5 |
| Corio | 30.0 | 54.0 |
| East Geelong | na | 50.0 |
| Grovedale | 33.5 | 52.8 |
| Grovedale South | 30.5 | 56.3 |
| Hamlyn Heights | 27.9 | 50.6 |
| Highton | 30.5 | 56.1 |
| Lara | 31.2 | 46.0 |
| Lara (Serendip) | na | 46.0 |
| Leopold | 34.0 | 64.0 |
| Leopold East | 38.0 | 64.0 |
| Manifold Heights | 27.5 | 57.0 |
| Moolap | 24.0 | 57.0 |
| Queens Park | 19.2 | 51.0 |
| Waurn Ponds | na | 50.0 |
| Whittington | na | 53.5 |
| Urban Geelong Average | 28.0 | 52.3 |