Rainfall deciles in Australia for September 2018, which was the driest September in Australia overall on record. Graphic: BOMRainfall deciles in Australia for the period 1 January 2018 - 30 September 2018. September 2018 was the driest September in Australia overall on record. Graphic: BOM

By Peter Hannam
1 October 2018
(The Sydney Morning Herald) – Australia has notched its driest September on record, with less than a third of the usual rainfall for the month, extending the dry spell that has farmers and firefighters increasingly desperate for rain.
Victoria posted its second driest September, also collecting just a third of its typical September rain.
NSW also had another dry month, with less than half the normal rain, bringing the state’s year-to-date tally lower than any year but 1902 and 1965, according to Blair Trewin, senior climatologist at the Bureau of Meteorology.
“Below average rainfall covered almost the entire country” last month, Dr Trewin said, adding that it pipped 1957 as the driest September, and trailed only April 1902 as the driest for any month.Melbourne posted its fifth-driest September on record, with no days recording more than 5 millimetres of rain – only the second time that’s happened for that month in records going back to 1855. […]The Murray-Darling Basin, Australia’s food bowl, had its driest January-September since 1902 – the end of the Federation Drought – Dr Trewin said.For the rest of the year, the bureau’s outlook suggests odds particularly favour drier than average conditions in Victoria, southern South Australia and Tasmania.”The signal in the outlook [for October to December] that’s really strong is warmth,” Dr Trewin said, noting that almost all of the country has an 80 per cent chance of warmer than usual maximum and minimum temperatures. [more]

Rainfall tallies plummet after Australia’s driest September on recordRainfall deciles for Victoria state in Australia, September 2018. It was the driest September in Victoria since 1914. Graphic: BOM

By Rachel Eddie
1 October 2018
(The New Daily) – Victoria has endured its driest September in more than 100 years, with Melbourne receiving just one-third of its usual rainfall.
The Bureau of Meteorology on Monday said it was the driest September since 1914, or the second driest overall.
But it wasn’t just Victoria waiting for rain. Australia had its driest September on record as farmers down the east coast battle drought.
Dry conditions also brought forward the bushfire season for parts of the country.
Melbourne had just 16.44mm for the month, or 35 per cent of the average at the airport station.
Victoria received 34 per cent its normal September rains, meaning the state has now gone nine consecutive months of below-average rainfall.
Mildura Airport recorded a total of just 0.8mm for the entire month, about 3 per cent of normal. […]It was Australia’s driest September on record, mostly as a result of below-average rain in the south of the country. […]The monthly data comes as NSW and Queensland farmers battle drought.The October to December climate outlook, released by BOM on Thursday, said eastern and southern Australia was likely to remain drier than average.That would mean “a low chance of recovery for drought-affected areas of eastern Australia”, BOM said. [more]

Victoria has its driest September in 100 years, as Australia has record low rain