The region’s autumn was record-breaking in both lack of rainfall and warm temperatures.
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However, a wet winter is predicted, with a wet week to begin on Friday, June 6.
March rainfall
After a dry start to the month, March dropped heavy rain across the region.
Shepparton’s rainfall started at noon on Thursday, March 20, with the Bureau of Meteorology recording 4.4mm by 1.30pm and showers continuing until about 7pm.
From 7pm until 11pm, Shepparton was soaked in just over 10mm of rain, when it calmed down until 2.30am on Friday, March 21.
In an hour, Shepparton saw 8mm of rain, with the final rain at 4am.
The total rainfall was 26.8mm between noon on the Thursday to 4am on Friday.
Heading north, Deniliquin saw a total rainfall of 34mm and Yarrawonga saw the highest rainfall in the region, being drenched in a total of 39mm of rain over 15 hours.
The rain began at 9.30am on the Thursday, with a downpour of 7.8mm in 30 minutes between 6pm and 6.30pm.
Moving east, Benalla saw a total of 27mm, while Strathbogie caught 17mm of rain.
Looking west, Tatura saw 18.2mm of rain from noon to 11.30pm and Kyabram saw a total of 22.6mm.
Further west, Echuca got 16mm in total, whereas Kerang received a wet 22mm total.
A dry April
Shepparton saw less than 2mm of rain, while Kerang was drenched in more than 40mm in a record-breaking April.
Rainfall totals in April were below to very much below average for northern Victoria.
Shepparton saw a month total of 1.8mm, with 1mm of that on Anzac Day — the third-driest April on record.
Looking around the region for April, Benalla had 4.2mm, Yarrawonga 6.8mm and Deniliquin 7.2mm.
Kerang was the only place to see an autumn break, with 41.6mm of rain across the month and 37.8mm falling on Anzac Day.
Echuca got 23mm of rain across April, Tatura 11.8mm and Mangalore 20.8mm.
Mean maximum temperatures in April were very much above average for the whole state.
Deniliquin, Echuca, Kyabram, Mangalore, Tatura and Shepparton all saw their highest average April temperatures.
Shepparton, Kyabram and Deniliquin broke records for highest average nighttime temperature in their areas.
Mangalore and Echuca saw their highest average nighttime temperatures in 30 years, with an average of 11°C and 11.9°C respectively.
Dry, hot May
Rainfall totals in May were below to very much below average for most of Victoria.
Victoria’s area-averaged rainfall total in May was 47.3 mm, 71 per cent below the 1961-1990 average, the seventh-driest on record for all Mays since 1900, and was the driest May in Victoria since 2005.
Victoria’s area-averaged mean maximum temperature was the second-warmest on record for all Mays since 1910.
Strathbogie shivered through the coldest night across the state in May, having a low of -5.6°C on May 20.
Kyabram, Tatura, Shepparton and Deniliquin saw record highest May temperatures.
Kyabram, Tatura, Shepparton, Strathbogie and Yarrawonga sweltered through their highest average May daytime temperature.
Echuca and Kerang had their highest average daytime temperature in the last 20 years.
Autumn highs and lows
Rainfall totals in autumn were below to very much below average for much of the state.
It was the driest autumn in Victoria since 2008.
Strathbogie saw Victoria’s coldest night for the season.
Echuca, Kyabram, Tatura, Strathbogie, Yarrawonga and Shepparton saw their highest average autumn daytime temperatures.
Wet, wet, wet winter
In the week following Friday, June 6, up to 35mm of rain is expected in Shepparton, with Sunday and Monday being the wettest, predicting up to 8mm each.
Similar rainfall is expected across northern Victoria including Echuca, Cobram, Kyabram, Benalla and Seymour.
Benalla is looking at the highest daily rainfall forecast, with Saturday and Sunday both expecting 15mm.
BOM predicts an increased chance of above average winter rainfall for much of mainland Australia.
There is a 90 per cent change of the region having a higher than average rainfall.
Warmer than average days are very likely across most of Australia, with an increased chance of unusually high daytime temperatures.
Warmer than average nights are very likely across Australia, with an increased chance of unusually high overnight temperatures.
Journalist