It's been a warm start to autumn across the North East.

The first 11 days of March have seen mean minimum temperatures at Wangaratta, Rutherglen and Benalla sit at 16.5 degrees, which is more than five degrees above the March normal and to date is the warmest since 2016 and before that in 1983.

A minimum temperature of 21.8 degrees on 1 March was the highest since 2016.

In that year significant rainfall arrived by the end of April and continued well into the winter season.

So far this March the recent heavy rain which brought 96.4mms on 28 February at Horsham and 38.2mms on 1 March did set up above average rainfalls the next few days at major centres in the North East, with Mt Buller recording the heaviest falls of 177.4mms.

Horsham's 96.4mms was the wettest February day since 108.5mms in 1957.

The summer of 1956-57 was very dry in Melbourne after a wet November - a very similar rainfall pattern to this year to date, with the autumn of 1957 being warmer and drier.

Unseasonable heavy rain at places in the northern inland of South Australia were the wettest in February since 1938.

During the last few days at Miles in south east Queensland some 135.8mms fell on 8 March, which was the wettest March day on record surpassing the previous wettest March day in 1890.

The first two months of 1890 were hotter and drier in Victoria just like this year - heavy rain did arrive on 30 March, 1890 and continued into 1890.