Melbourne Just Shivered Through Its Coldest and Wettest Day of the Year
Winter is coming.
Feeling a little chilly, Melburnians? And a little damp yesterday, too? There's a reason for that. Winter isn't here just yet, but cooler temperatures and rainy weather have been making the city shiver — in fact, Friday, May 10 was Melbourne's coldest and wettest day of the year so far.
While the mercury is forecast to hit the 17-degree maximum mark today, with showers listed as possible as well, yesterday only made it to 14 degrees. The long-term average top May temperature is 16.7 degrees, so anyone feeling the cold hasn't just become too accustomed to summer. As everyone suddenly remembers when this time of year hits, falling a couple of degrees makes a difference.
As for the rain, 14.8 millimetres fell over the city, with more than 10mm pouring down in some suburbs in just 15 minutes and flash flooding closing some roads. It's nowhere near as much as some regional areas, with Ballarat recording its wettest day since 1977 according to The Age, but it's still more than Melbourne has seen in a single day so far in 2019. Weatherzone reports that just 68.2mm of rain has fallen in the city this year, less than half of the total for the same period in 2018.
If you're not too keen on the extra dash of chilliness, maximums of 18 and 19 degrees are forecast for the coming Sunday through till Friday. That said, rug up come evening — minimums will only hit between 9 and 11 degrees.
Via SBS / The Age / Weatherzone.
