Umbrellas at the ready
BITINGLY cold temperatures in the last week of June had many South Gippslanders shuddering.
As temperatures plummeted into the negatives overnight, locals awoke to frost, frozen car windscreens and roads coated in ice.
According to the Bureau of Meteorology’s Pound Creek weather station, the coldest temperature of -2.3 °C was recorded on Tuesday, June 25.
Over the next three days, minimum temperatures did not get above 1°C.
As a result of icy temperatures, some locals found they had no running water due to frozen pipes or water meters.
“Water meters are particularly vulnerable to freezing as they are above ground. Likewise water can freeze in pipes that are on or close to the surface,” explained South Gippsland Water’s Philippe du Plessis.
“It can be really inconvenient, but the safest way to resolve the situation is to wait for the temperature to rise and for them to naturally thaw.”
To prevent water meters or pipes splitting as a result of water freezing in them, Mr du Plessis advised to cover them with a bucket or box overnight.
In Fish Creek, Neville Buckland said he experienced six large, consecutive frosts towards the end of the month.
“The snow we got at the end of May was colder, but I haven’t seen so many consecutive frosts for many years,” he said.
Rainfall for the month was a “whisker under average” at 82.5mm rain, according to Mr Buckland.
“Year to date, we’ve received 421mm. This last time year we’d had 432mm,” he said.
In Meeniyan, rainfall was also just below average with 77.2mm falling over 13 days in June.
“We have got our fires going and expect July to be as cold,” Lindsay Fromhold from Meeniyan said.
In contrast, Leongatha rainfall is more than 70mm above average year to date.
“We had 80mm of rainfall in June which brings our year to date to 283mm,” Leongatha’s David Shambrook said.
“It’s more positive than last year, and as long as we maintain our soil moisture without getting too wet – and get rain in spring – we should be fine.”
Despite rainfall being above average for Leongatha, Mr du Plessis said the last week had produced frosty evenings but not a lot of rain.
“With little rainfall received to round out the financial year, Ruby Creek, which supplies Leongatha, remains at 56 per cent capacity,” he said.
The average rainfall for July is 90mm, so can expect a wet month ahead.
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