Josh Fisher, 01 Jul 2012, 12:15 AM UTC
South West VIC drenched and its spreading east
Victoria's South West district has just seen its wettest June in around five years and the wet weather is continuing into the start of the new month.
Large amounts of moisture are spinning around a low pressure system centred over Bass Strait this morning. This has led to periods of heavy rain over the South West district during the past 24 hours.
Portland gained 33mm of rain in the 24 hours to 9am this morning, which has come after a wetter than normal June. Portland received a total of 172mm last month, which makes it the wettest June in eight years.
Warrnambool has also seen a soggy start to the winter, recording 102mm across 21 rain days in June, its wettest in five years. During the past 24 hours, the city has seen an additional 22mm of rain, more than a quarter of the monthly average.
The low pressure system responsible for the wet conditions is slowly tracking east, allowing the rain to ease from the South West. During the next 24 hours, the heaviest rain will be focused over central Victoria, including Melbourne.
The rain will increase in Melbourne this afternoon and may be accompanied by isolated thunderstorms and small hail. The city will see around 10 to 15mm of rain during the next 24 hours, however eastern suburbs could see as much as 30mm.
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