TAMWORTH has sweltered through a hot and dry November, and rainfall statistics reveal the city has clocked the lowest amount of rain for the month of November in more than 80 years.
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Just 3mm of the wet stuff fell in the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) gauge at Tamworth airport during the 30 days.
Local weather expert and Tamworth Regional Weather Facebook page administrator Dave Farrenden said it's a record low for the BoM station at the airport in Westdale.
The lowest November rainfall tally on record dates back to the 1930s, when the gauge still lived in Taminda.
Data from the BoM shows this year's November rainfall was even less than during the height of the devastating drought.
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About 11.6mm fell in November 2016; 64mm fell during the same time in 2017; 85mm was recorded for the month in 2018; and 31.6mm was notched in November last year.
BoM data shows there were only four days of dribbling rain in November 2020, with the wettest day only dropping 1.8mm on Tamworth airport.
Despite the dry weather, Mr Farrenden said locals shouldn't be too worried, because the rest of the year has been relatively wet and the La Nina pattern is still active across Australia.
The BoM has declared Australia is in a La Nina event, which generally means more rain than normal is expected to bucket down in the coming months.
"It's just one dry month - at least we've still seen above average rain for the whole year, or most places have," he told the Leader.
"We [Tamworth] have already met our average for the year and there's still a month to go."
The rain gauge at Tamworth airport has notched 670.2mm of rain so far this year, compared to just 263.6mm across the whole of 2019.
"I wouldn't be stressing about what's going on after what happened last year, that was a terrible year," Mr Farrenden said.
The November weather would have been a welcome reprieve for those who love the sunshine, as it was the month with the lowest rainfall all year - and the fewest rainy days.
But, Mr Farrenden said dark skies are expected to return.
"The La Nina is going to be active and good for at least the next three months, then it will start to decrease," he said.
Hopes of water restrictions winding back are on hold until more of the precious resource gushes into the city's main water supply.
Chaffey Dam hovered at around 33 per cent capacity throughout November, a little shy of the 35 per cent needed to trigger Level 2 water rules.
While the sun was out in November, it didn't just bring clear skies, it also brought a heatwave and searing temperatures to parts of the region at the end of the month.
The first day of summer on Tuesday was also a scorcher, with the mercury creeping above 40 degrees in the afternoon, according to the BoM station at Tamworth airport.
The BoM is predicting showers could hit Tamworth towards the end of this week, with a medium chance of rain on Thursday and high chance on Friday.
Mr Farrenden warned residents to be ready for a thunderstorm, following on from warm days.
"Usually after heatwaves, we get some very violent storms so that will be something to watch," he said.
Police and crime reporter at the Newcastle Herald. Email: afalkenmire@austcommunitymedia.com.au
Police and crime reporter at the Newcastle Herald. Email: afalkenmire@austcommunitymedia.com.au
