Spring 2018 wrap Very warm with mixed rainfall

Spring in Australia was a mixed bag across the country and varied considerably from month to month, with spring rainfall close to average across the nation, even after enduring nationally the driest September on record, and temperatures remaining well above average.

After a September that had sustained high pressure and little rainfall, conditions improved considerably across October and November with above average rainfall experienced due to useful (although not drought breaking) rain events.

This rainfall did vary considerably however, with Victoria, western Tasmania and southwest Western Australia remaining very dry throughout the season. Meanwhile, parts of the the east coast, the interior and southern WA recorded a wetter than average spring, including the wettest on record for parts of WA's southeast inland.

Continuing the trend in recent years, temperatures were well above average throughout most of spring, with the nation recording its ninth-warmest on record. This was helped by fourth-warmest October on record, although September and November were also above average.

The heat was particularly pronounced in Queensland which saw its third-warmest spring on the back of the late November heatwaves, where numerous sites in central and northern parts of the state set records for monthly or annual high temperature and consecutive hot days by significant margins. This lead to more than a hundred blazes across Queensland, with a number of them becoming dangerous and leading to widespread damage.

Looking into summer, a hot and dry summer is expected for large parts of the country, although some parts of eastern Australia have a higher chance of seeing wetter than average conditions.

Image 1: National Maximum Temperature Deciles - December 8th, 2018