A record dry September for Melbourne

With 12 mm for the month, Melbourne has recorded it driest September since records began in 1855. The previous driest was September 1907 when 13.4 mm of rain fell. Historically September is one of Melbourne's wetter months averaging 57.9 mm.

The low rainfall was caused by dominance of dry air during the month, which meant that most fronts and low pressure systems produced very little rainfall.

This record low rainfall in September continues the very long drought which has affected Melbourne (and indeed most of southeast Australia) since late 1996. With just 3 months left in 2008, it is now virtually certain that Melbourne will record its 12 th consecutive calendar year with below average rainfall. The previous record is six years set in 1979 to 1984, highlighting the unprecedented severity of the current drought.

Further information:

David Jones, Climate Scientist, Bureau of Meteorology, (03) 9669 4085

Shoni Dawkins, Climate Scientist, Bureau of Meteorology, (03) 9669 4466