Maitland received more rain in one September day than in the months of October and November combined, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.
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A decent fall of 38.2mm on September 18 eclipsed the entire totals for October (15.8mm) and November (12.4mm) put together.
The spring figures pale in comparison for the same season last year. Just 77.4mm of rain fell in Maitland from September to November this year - three times less than the 235.4mm that was recorded in the same months in 2018.
The abysmal rain statistics point towards an ominous sign of things to come in summer, with the BOM predicting an 'unlikely' chance of above median rainfall in Maitland for the season ahead.
The climate outlook shows a high likelihood of warmer than average days and nights for most of the country, while rainfall is likely to be below average for large parts of the nation's east.
Bureau of Meteorology head of long-range forecasts Dr Andrew Watkins said Australia's outlook was being influenced by one of Australia's main climate drivers.
"The key culprit for our current and expected conditions is one of the strongest positive Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) events on record," Dr Watkins said.
"A positive IOD means we have cooler than average water pooling off Indonesia, and this means we see less rain-bearing weather systems, and warmer than average temperatures for large parts of the country.
"The positive IOD means we're also expecting a delayed onset for the northern monsoon, one of the key drivers for tropical rainfall during the summer months.
"At this stage we're expecting the onset of the northern monsoon by mid-summer, which should see the odds for closer to average rainfall increasing from January and into February."
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Sage Swinton
Sage Swinton is a news reporter who was born and bred in the Hunter. She has been with the Newcastle Herald since June 2020, and covers Newcastle council as well as other general news.
Sage Swinton is a news reporter who was born and bred in the Hunter. She has been with the Newcastle Herald since June 2020, and covers Newcastle council as well as other general news.
