Glorious rain over the weekend was welcome in East Gippsland, with some areas recording up to 45 millimetres on the Monday of the King’s Birthday long weekend.
In a cold snap, snow fell on Mount Hotham with the total fall reaching 70mm over the weekend, creating havoc for some unprepared drivers who had to be rescued from the Blue Rag Track down the Dargo High Plains Road.
Down the road to the south, the Dargo weather station has recorded a handy 506.8mm for the year, with 55mm already falling in June.
In the valley to the east of there, at Ensay, the weather station recorded 33.6mm on June 9, with the monthly total at 52.4mm, and a year-to-date total of 296.4mm.
On June 10 at 9am the soil temperature at 20cm deep was 7.1 degrees, with 100 per cent soil moisture down to 50cm, however there is 0% moisture at 80cm and 90cm.
Further north, where it has been considerably more dry and cold, the Benambra weather station has recorded 55.8mm for the month, as at June 10, with 33.6mm of that falling on June 9. The year-to-date figure stands at 231mm.
Benambra local, Amanda Pendergast said her family had recorded 62mm by June 9 with the rain just ‘tickling the big dams’ but not filling them.
She said at noon that day the temperature was 1.6 degrees Celsius.
The weather station states the 20cm soil temperature plunged to 3.1 degrees at 1pm on June 9, before climbing back up to 6.1 degrees on Monday night, too cold to grow feed for stock, particularly after several frosts with mornings of -5 and -6 degrees Celsius.
The Meerlieu weather station recorded 45.2mm on June 9, and has a year-to-date total of 294.6mm.
