mmg.com.au

The lack of rain during November will come as no surprise to district residents, with rainfall across the region well below average for the end of spring.

Heathcote could normally expect about 42mm of rain in November, but this year recorded just 13.7mm, even drier compared to last year’s total of 95mm for the month.

The last time so little rain fell across the region in November was in 1986, when only 6.8mm was recorded.

For the entire spring season this year the region recorded less than 60mm, which was not enough to fill the average household water tank ahead of summer.

Lake Eppalock also recorded low rainfall with less than 10mm for the month compared to 62.2mm last year and a long-term average of 43.1mm.

Likewise, Redesdale was a little dry with only 12.4mm of rain recorded in the month compared to 68.6mm last year and a long-term average of 41.6mm.

The Bureau of Meteorology has forecast another dry month ahead for the region with a 60 per cent chance of below average rainfall, so the district can expect less than 40mm of rain in December.

District forecaster Kevin Long has also warned farmers that much of the predicted rain is likely to fall in mid-December, but the rest of summer will be long and dry extending into May, 2013.

Temperatures across the district in November were above average with warmer days and nights than usual.

The hottest day for the month was on November 29 with 38°C, while the coldest night was on November 10 with 3.1°C.

The average daytime temperature was 25.7°C, two degrees hotter than usual, while the average overnight temperature was 9°C, also almost two degrees warmer than expected for November.

District residents may want to make sure they have plenty of fans and coolers handy for December with temperatures forecast to be hotter than the long-term average.

The region can expect daytime temperatures to average around the 30°C mark.

Nights could be a little more comfortable than usual in December with the Bureau of Meteorology predicting night temperatures to fall below the average for the last month of the year, so hot days should not translate into too many sleepless nights.