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Australia registers driest September on record

The big dry has continued across Australia, with the nation just registering its driest September on record, and driest calendar month in over a century.

Despite the absence of an official El Nino event and a positive Indian Ocean Dipole, the country remained remarkably dry throughout the month.

The country recorded an area-averaged 5.2mm for the month, well short of the long-term average of 16.6mm, the driest September on record and driest calendar month since April 1902.

While there were small pockets of above average rainfall, the majority of the nation received below average rainfall, with the driest areas in southwest Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria and western NSW.

Due to reduced cloud cover, daytime temperatures were 1.41°C above average across the nation. However, clearer than average skies caused some very cold nights across the southeast, with northern parts of VIC, southern NSW and eastern SA seeing record cold September nights, leading to late-season frost damage.

Looking further ahead, with a developing positive Indian Ocean Dipole event and possible weak El Nino, drier than average conditions are expected to continue over the next few months.

Image 1: Australian Rainfall Deciles - October 2nd, 2018

Australian Rainfall Deciles - October 2nd, 2018

 

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