Get ready for dry summer

Shepparton has experienced a dry year and it is only set to get drier leading into the summer months.

According to Bureau of Meteorology data, in the 12 months up to October this year, 

.Shepparton had recorded just 308.8 mm of rainfall, almost 134 mm less than its average rainfall across the same 12-month period.

Shepparton's Victoria Park Lake becomes one of the
 city's busiest places when the temperatures begin to rise. 

In the past month, 28.2 mm of rain was recorded in Shepparton.

The district is in line with the rest of the state which is on track to have one of the top 10 driest springs since records began in 1900, according to the bureau’s 2018-19 Summer Outlook.

BoM’s long-range forecasting manager Andrew Watkins said conditions had generally been quite dry throughout the state and it was likely to see a hotter-thannormal summer period.

‘‘It has been particularly warm during October — about the sixth warmest on record,’’ Dr Watkins said.

The summer outlook also showed there was an 80 per cent chance of exceeding normal temperatures in the next three months.

‘‘Summer in Australia typically brings hot temperatures for many communities and the outlook indicates this summer will be no different,’’ he said.

Dr Watkins said it was also looking like El Nin˜ o would come into play with the chance of an El Nin˜ o forming in 2018 sitting at 70 per cent, roughly triple the normal risk.

According to the Bureau, an El Nin˜ o typically brings drier and warmer conditions to eastern Australia but the rainfall effects tend to be less pronounced in the south during summer months.

‘‘As we go into summer we’re looking like El Nin˜ o may well come into play,’’ Dr Watkins said.

This story is from The Shepparton News - “Get ready for dry summer.”