The first week of July started with a high pressure system entering the Great Australian Bight extending a ridge up the east coast, bringing drier and cooler conditions to the Ranges
Later in the week an upper level trough, from tropical waters, passed over the Ranges leaving 5m of rain in the gauges, just enough to dampen the ground in an otherwise dry week.
The weather pattern changed in the second week with a surface trough moving north into our region with strong south-easterly winds gusting to over 20knots. This episode was quickly followed with successive northwest cloudbands bringing overcast conditions and some isolated rain showers of short duration on to the Ranges
Later in the month a high pressure system over South Australia moved into NSW before clearing out to sea. This synoptic situation brought overcast conditions, strong winds and a promise of a few showers on the Ranges, but Maleny missed out.
Full moon and a change of weather pattern came in the final week with strong NW winds from the Coral Sea bringing daytime temperatures soaring to the mid-twenties and the need to put aside doonas at night.
In the last few days of the month the promise of rain became a reality with 40mm bringing the month’s total to 53mm, representing 61 per cent of the 117 year July average. Although this was the third successive month with below average rainfall the annual amount so far this year is 200mm above the norm.
