THE Wimmera could be set for a slightly wetter winter than average, off the back of a cold, rainy autumn.
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The first day of winter for 2020 started with plenty of rain overnight on Sunday.
Bureau of Meteorology duty forecaster Peter Blake said Horsham received 4.2mm, Ararat 14mm, Edenhope 11mm, Navarre 11mm, Nhill 7mm, Stawell 6mm and Warracknabeal 5mm.
He said after showers on Monday afternoon, the next chance of rainfall would be Saturday, with 1-2mm forecast.
Mr Blake said fogs and frost would be a feature of the next few days, and cold air would keep things chilly.
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The rainfall overnight Sunday was an apt way to send off autumn.
Mr Blake said Horsham measured almost 110mm of rain during the season - well above the mean average of 74.1mm.
The city measured 40.6mm in May, 54.8mm in April and 14.2mm in March.
Last year, it received 66.2mm across the three months, with 62mm falling in May alone.
"Certainly I think March and April reflect it was a lot wetter this year than last year," Mr Blake said.
"Horsham reflects the rest of the area - the rainfall was quite extreme."
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Mr Blake said said the heavy rainfall played a hand in cooler temperatures across the region.
There was up to a couple of degrees in difference in March average maximum temperatures year-on-year.
Mr Blake said Horsham's March mean temperature was 26.4 degrees compared with 27.9 in 2019. April averaged a top temperature of 20.3 degrees compared with 23.2 last year, and May 16.4 degrees compared with 17.8.
"That's a big difference," Mr Blake said.
He said minimum temperatures were more similar to last year and the average.
Mr Blake said Australia was set for a wetter than average winter but that was not necessarily the case for the Wimmera.
"It might be slightly above (average)," he said.
He said a warm winter last year was unlikely to be repeated this year, with rain to bring colder weather with it.
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