RAINFALL
Poor rainfall totals across most of the Geelong region came as no surprise. Geelong only received 27.4mm which is 54% of the average for September. West Barwon Dam’s figure was much better, with 99mm which is around 85% of average. Geelong’s total rain for the year to date is only 350mm, which is about 43mm below normal for this time of year. Barwon Water catchments are now at 29% of capacity and the 3-month outlook from the Bureau of Meteorology is not optimistic, predicting only a 35-40% likelihood of above average rains for the October to December period.
TEMPERATURE
September was “warmer” than average by 0.1 degrees C. The average daily minimum was 5.8C and the maximum 17.5C. This compares with the long-term averages of 6.6C and 16.4C respectively.
There were 4 frosts, and this is about 3 greater than normal. The hottest day was the 23rd when the maximum was 23.8C and the coldest was the 3rd, with only 12.8C maximum.
The most recent 3-monthly outlook from the Bureau of Meteorology indicates a very strong likelihood of warmer than normal temperatures for the rest of the year. The immediate water supply outlook for Geelong is not good, and most town water is now being supplied from Barwon Water’s unproven underground reserves.
OTHER FEATURES
There were 7 very windy days when the maximum gust exceeded 60 kph, and the windiest period was between the 27th and the 30th. Maximum wind gusts in a severe wind storm reached 106kph at Mt Duneed on the 28th causing a lot of tree and structural damage across the urban area.
Lightning was seen to the south of Geelong on the evening of the 19th, but there were no other severe storms.
RAINFALL DATA
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