TEMPERATURES in Swan Hill hit 40 degrees last week for the first time since February.
But the good news from the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) is this should be the last hot spell before Christmas.
According to the long range forecast, temperatures should be in the high 20s and early 30s right through to Christmas Day when a mild and sunny 26 degrees is expected.
BOM senior forecaster Richard Carlyon told The Guardian that temperatures built up gradually last week with the gauge reaching 31.4 on Monday before soaring to 39.6 degrees on Wednesday and 40.1 on Thursday, the hottest day since February 15 when the temperature reached 41.9.
A cool change brought the temperatures back to a comfortable 25 degrees by Saturday.
The bad news is there is no rain in sight for the near future.
So far this month, Swan Hill Aerodrome has recorded only 20.6mm of rain. The highest fall was on November 5 when 16mm fell with the only other days of rain on November 2 when 2.2mm was recorded and November 18 when 2.4 was recorded.
The NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) has warned that while some primary producers across the border also received a welcome relief from the dry conditions earlier this month, the rainfall outlook is grim.
For more on this story, grab a copy of Monday’s Guardian (November 23).
