The dry conditions up to the third week of September have certainly continued across much of Victoria and the Riverina. Melbourne has received 326mms this year up to 16 September, which is the driest for this period since 2014. Other drier such periods were in 1997, 1982, 1976, 1967 and 1898 after which the rest of those years and up to next February were notably warmer than normal and somewhat wetter than average with more thunderstorms than usual. Heavy unseasonable rain in northern tropical Queensland last week saw Cairns receive 109.6mms, with the 72.8mms which fell on September 17 being the wettest September day since 80mms in 1988. Cairns has reached 143mms so far this September making this the wettest September since 233mms in 1886. Heavier rainfalls of over 300mms were recorded at Innisfail and South Johnstone - the wettest for September since 1998. The unseasonable rainfall in northern tropical Queensland was due to a long spell of easterly winds dragging moist air from the Timor Sea where sea surface temperatures have been two degrees above normal for a long time since about late 2023.
