BALLARAT residents sure knew how to beat the heat on the weekend. As the mercury increased, so did the number of paddle boats and canoes on Lake Wendouree.
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But it was yesterday’s mild top of 23 degrees rather than Saturday’s 35 degree scorcher that brought more people to the water.
Lukey’s Boat Hire owner and operator Paul Luke said it was a busy time of year.
“Heaps of people were on the water, but (Saturday) was a bit quieter,” Mr Luke said.
“The heat became a bit too much for people.”
“Today was the better day for us,” he said yesterday.
And we’re set for more warm weather leading into the new year.
Weatherzone meteorologist Rob Sharpe said New Year’s Day would heat up before some rain fell in the evening.
“Most of the day is going to be quite hot,” Mr Sharpe said.
“At the moment it is forecast as 28 degrees for Wednesday.”
“But, because the sun is restricted by cloud coverage, the cloud will keep the temperature down.”
There is a 60 per cent chance of rain on Wednesday, with 5mm to 10mm expected.
Ballarat’s total rainfall for the year is down on the previous year, with only 26 mm recorded at Ballarat Aerodrome this month.
Bureau of Meteorology data indicates 570.2mm of rainfall for Ballarat this year.
Last year Ballarat saw 633mm of rain fall and in 2011 it was 795.8mm.
kara.irving@fairfaxmedia.com.au