Australian Weather News -- 17 October 2000

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Tuesday 17 October 2000

Overnight temperature records tumble in Vic, Tas

Tasmania's wintry outbreak of the past few days collapsed rapidly yesterday, with high pressure, light winds and clear skies covering the island and Victoria by yesterday afternoon. As a result, temperatures dropped to record or near record October levels in parts of Tasmania, and some isolated pockets in Victoria (see panel below). Widespread frosts were reported, damaging grape, hops and vegetable crops in southern Tasmania. West of Melbourne, Laverton Airport broke its October minimum temperature record for the second time in 6 days, unusual given the 57 years of recording at the site. Melbourne City's minimum of 4.8 is the lowest so late in the year since 1984, while Hobart City's 1.8 is its lowest October temperature since 1983, and the lowest this late in spring since 1944.

Today's highest rainfall totals for the 24 hours to 9am 86.4 Cape Tribulation Store Qld 54.2 Channel Pt NT 44.0 Warburton AF WA 40.0 Southport Qld 40.0 Bunda Qld High falls for other periods: Western Australia: Balgair: 27mm in 6h to 6am Giles MO: 29mm in 3h to 6am Northern Territory: Port Keats: 39mm in 2h to 8am Channel Point: 53mm in 6h to 9am (most falling in about 15m before 9am) Queensland: Gold Coast Seaway: 15.2mm in 10m to 12.36am New South Wales: Bellambi Point: 32.0mm in 3h to 4am	Today's highest & lowest temps		Records set this day Lowest minimum temperature for October (previous record and years of computerised record shown in brackets): Orbost Vic: 0.7 (1.1, 40) Laverton RAAF Vic: -1.0 (0.1, 57) Marrawah Tas: 1.5 (2.0, 28) Bushy Park Tas: -3.0 (-2.9, 38) Strathgordon Tas: -1.3 (-1.2, 30)
	Maximum	Minimum
	38.5 Flying Fox NT	27.4 Wyndham PO WA
	4.5 Mt Read Tas	-4.8 Lake Leake Tas
	Greatest variations from normal
	Maximum	Minimum
	+5.5 22.9 Cape Northumberland SA	+7.1 16.6 Nonning SA
	-10.6 20.8 Curtin Springs NT -9.3 17.3 Balgair WA	-9.2 -1.0 Laverton RAAF AP Vic -8.8 -3.0 Bushy Park Tas -8.6 10.0 Mt Isa AP Qld

Times stated are the clock time in force in the relevant state or territory
Stories, including those in the archives, are as new and corrected information becomes available, with updates underlined
Australian Weather News gratefully acknowledges the Bureau of Meteorology as the collector and main source of meteorological data in Australia, along with the thousands of observers who record the weather and rainfall daily. I also thank Don White, Blair Trewin and the many contributors to the Aussie Weather mailing list who routinely provide much appreciated information.