Arctic chill brings rain and snow
The start of the last “official” month of winter – August – gave a real taste of the chills in West Gippsland.
The maximum temperature last Tuesday recorded at the Nilma North weather station was an icy 8.2 degrees, the lowest this year.
In the higher areas including Neerim North, Neerim Junction, Icy Creek, Vesper and Tanjil Bren the ground was covered in snow.
There was even a spattering of snow in Warragul.
The cold on Tuesday was accentuated with winds at times gusting to 57 kilometres an hour.
However, minimum temperatures last week didn’t drop as low as freezing point.
The coldest mornings belonged to June where there were seven days when the minimum was below 0 degrees, June 29 the coldest of the year being minus 2.8 degrees.
There were also three days last month when the minimum dropped below zero.
Mt Baw Baw has had consistently good snowfalls.
Unfortunately for those that like their snow sports the resort, like all alpine resorts in the state, has been closed to the public at least until September 13 under the latest round of COVID-19 related restrictions.
Twenty-five centimetres of snow fell at Mt Baw Baw overnight last Wednesday and there was an average snow depth of almost 40 centimetres on the ski runs.
Rain so far this year is still running well above average although last month’s total of 51.8 millimetres was the driest July for 20 years - since 2001.
Most of that, 35.2 millimetres, was registered in the first week of the month.
The January to July total of 646.6 millimetres, is well above the 115-year average for that period of 525.7 millimetres.