SWAN Hill recorded an average warm and wet October as locals enjoyed more outdoor freedoms heading into the warmer months.
The rural city recorded a mean maximum of 22.8 degrees, 1.6 degrees below the long-term average.
The warmest day was October 28 when the minimum was 15.2 degrees before blue skies, sunshine and a maximum 33.6 degrees, according to the Bureau of Meteorology’s Swan Hill aerodrome weather station.
October 11 and 12 were the mildest days, when the mercury dropped to 3.2 degrees before climbing to 18 and 21.4 degrees respectively.
The mild weather continued that week when just a top of 17.2 degrees was recorded on October 14 — the same day the city copped a drenching of 6.8mm.
The month’s total rainfall was 26.2mm — recorded across 11 days — bringing the year’s total to 184mm.
The highest falls was on October 14 with 6.8mm.
The mean rainfall for October is 22.4mm.
Meanwhile, Wycheproof recorded its highest October total rainfall for at least 20 years.
The Mallee town recorded 64.6mm — 27.2mm above the average.
The most recent highest recorded rainfall was 125mm in 1992.
The bureau said averaged across the state, October rainfall total was about 10 per cent above the mean of 64.6mm.
“A complex low pressure system and an associated low pressure trough that crossed the state at the end of September, resulted in widespread rainfall across Victoria on October 1, with daily totals at many sites exceeding 30mm,” the monthly summary said.
Swan Hill recorded more than 6mm across the first two days of the month.
“Mid-month, a complex low pressure system and a low-pressure trough brought severe thunderstorms, strong winds, and widespread, locally heavy rainfall,” the bureau said.
“A cold front that crossed Victoria on October 22 resulted in light to moderate falls over the central and southern parts of the state, while a cold front and the associated low pressure system which developed over western Victoria on October 28 brought damaging winds, severe thunderstorms, hail and showers.
“Some sites had their highest total October rainfall on record, or their highest total October rainfall for at least 20 years.”
The bureau reported several warm days, including October 28, due to a northerly airflow ahead of the approaching cold fronts.
The three-month outlook showed rainfall was likely to be above median for much of the eastern two-thirds of Australia.
Extreme climate outlooks showed November to January was 1.5 to three times more likely than normal to see rainfall in the top 20 per cent of historical records for much of Australia away from the west.
This month has stronger likelihoods, with parts of southern Australia three to four times as likely to see rainfall in the top 20 per cent.
So far this month, Swan Hill has recorded 8.6mm of rain — the average is 40.5mm.
