The first frost of this year arrived last weekend with minus 1.6 degrees at Wangaratta and minus 1.5 degrees at Rutherglen, both on Sunday, 19 April.

This occurred about three weeks earlier than the first minus temperatures last year, which took place on Saturday, 3 May.

Alpine resorts recorded up to minus three to minus four degrees on a few days.

Needless to say April has been a dry month not only in Victoria but at least three quarters of the nation.

At least over half the nation has not had a drop of rain since 29 March.

Scoresby and other nearby suburbs have had very dry conditions since December last year.

There was a similar dry period which ran from December 2006 to early May of 2007.

Significant rain arrived by the third week of May 2007 and then more significant rain by the fourth week of June 2007.

Canberra recorded minus 1.8 degrees a few days ago, the coldest for the third week of April since 2021 and before that in 2001 and 1963.

Interestingly these frosts in Canberra did set up warmer days up to 25 degrees in Victoria during the first two weeks of May followed by heavy rain during third week of May and later in June and early July.

St George and other nearby places in the Maranoa district have had their driest September to April period since 1991-92.

The first four months of 1992 were rather dry in North East Victoria, but heavy rain arrived by the third week of May - the rest of 1992 was rather wet.

By contrast the very dry September 1943 to April 1944 period recorded at St George led to terrible dry conditions over most of the nation including Victoria during the rest of 1944 and into 1945.