Wide-brim hats are back in fashion, sunscreen is back in glove boxes and everyone is looking for the closest cold water.
That’s right, it is officially summer.
But before we leap into the December heat, let’s look back on spring.
September saw a warm and dry start to the season, with plenty of rain-free days.
Temperatures started to heat up, with Friday, September 6 recording a toasty high of 29.4℃.
On the flip side, Shepparton shivered through a top of 14.7℃ on Saturday, September 14.
This September was warmer than last year’s, which had a hottest day of 28.1℃ and a coldest of only 9.6℃.
While the days were heating up, the nights were still chilly.
The warmest night was on Wednesday, September 25, which saw the temperature drop to only 14.1℃, while on Wednesday, September 18, the Bureau of Meteorology recorded a toe-numbing overnight low of -0.1℃.
Compared to last year, September nights were similar, with a mean low temperature of 5.5℃ last year and 5.9℃ this year.
The temperature on the warmest night last September fell to 12.4℃, while the coldest dropped to 0.4℃.
It rained on only six days this September, making for a dry month.
But it was a wet end to September, with Shepparton recording 8mm of rain in the 24 hours to 9am on Monday, September 30, according to the BOM.
The total rainfall for the month was only 13.2mm, below September 2023’s total of 15.6mm, and well below the mean average rainfall for September of 37.2mm.
In October, the days were getting warmer, with the highest maximum temperature of 30.9℃ on Tuesday, October 22, and the coldest day, Tuesday, October 8, still reaching 17.9℃.
With an average of 24.1℃, the daytime temperatures were well above last year’s average of 21℃.
Nights were still cold during October, with the warmest night on Friday, October 18, when the mercury fell to only 17.9℃.
However, Saturday, October 26 was the coldest, with an overnight minimum of 2.3℃.
Nights were warmer than last year, with October 2023 having an average night-time temperature of 7.4℃, while this year’s was 9.2℃.
It was a dry month too, with rain on only seven days.
The wettest day saw 15.6mm of rain fall on Friday, October 18, with the total rainfall for the month coming to 28.8mm, below the month’s historical average of 36.8mm.
Compared to last year, October was much drier, with last year’s total rainfall for October reaching 75mm.
The last month of the season saw slightly warmer days and much wetter weather.
In terms of daytime temperatures, November had a mean of 28.2℃ with the historical average for November in Shepparton being 26.3℃.
The hottest day was Saturday, November 23, which reached a high of 37.7℃. This rolled into the warmest night, which had minimum of 21.9℃.
The coldest night and day were also in tandem, with the coldest day being Friday, November 1, with the mercury touching 21.3℃.
The coldest night followed on that night, with an overnight low of 5℃.
As was true for daytime temperatures this November, night was about 2℃ warmer than the average November.
The historical average in Shepparton is 10.9℃ whereas November 2024 had an average of 12.7℃.
November typically has seven days over 30℃ and two days over 35℃; however, last month had 10 days over 30℃ and four over 35℃.
Looking at rainfall in the area, it was a wet month.
November was a typical month when looking at the number of days of rain, sitting at the historical average of seven days.
However, when it rained, it poured, the month having almost double the average rainfall.
During November, there was 77.2mm of rainfall, with Monday, November 25 being the day with the highest rainfall at 24mm.
The average November will see 45.2mm. It is the wettest month on average.
Looking ahead, the Bureau of Meteorology has predicted above-average rainfall likely for most of Australia, particularly during December.
“Rainfall is likely (60 to 80 per cent chance) to be above average for much of eastern Australia, including ... Victoria,” the BOM long-range forecast said.
“Warmer-than-average days are likely across large parts of the country.”