THE REGION’S dry start to winter is likely to continue into early spring.
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Bureau of Meteorology climatologist Jonathan Pollock said most of Victoria was forecast to be drier than normal in the next three months.
He said the likelihood of dry conditions was particularly strong in northern Victoria.
Mr Pollock said the odds were very strong for temperatures to be higher in most of Victoria through July to September.
He said the past week’s cold temperatures were not likely to continue for the season.
However, despite the dry weather, Ararat farmer Charlie de Fegely was optimistic about the coming season.
Mr de Fegely raises mainly lambs on his property.
“August, September and October are the key months for us – in fact we can have little rain now as long as we know it’s coming later in the year,” he said.
“A lot of croppers have got their crops up and they’re looking handy, but they are desperately looking for spring rain more than sheep people do.”
Mr de Fegely said the frost had slowed pasture growth but the rain should now bring it back.
“To just look at one month is misleading; we’ve had one of the best autumns probably in my farming career,” he said.
Mr de Fegely said farmers in the region were waiting on the spring weather.
Bureau of Meteorology climatologist Blair Trewin said June had been the driest month sine the 1970s.
“It was extremely dry right across Victoria but Ararat rainfall for the month was 12.2 millimetres, which was only about 20 per cent of average,” Mr Trewin said.
“That made it the third driest June for Ararat and records go back to 1862 so that’s pretty significant.
“The two other times it was that dry were in 1969 and 1975.”
Mr Trewin said temperatures were also unusual for the month.
“As you would expect for a very dry month, the range between daytime and nighttime temperatures was bigger than usual,” he said.
“Daytime temperatures were about one degree above average but overnight minimums were about 1.5 degrees below average.”