WHAT a difference a week makes. One week ago the calendar declared it was the beginning of autumn. But the weather had other ideas with a very summery top temperature of 31.3 degrees and a minimum of 17.7 degrees.
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It was back to reality yesterday, though, and the Bureau of Meteorology is predicting more of the same.
The temperature was 17.1 degrees at 2am yesterday. That was as good as it got as the grey clouds blanketed Ballarat.
The first drops of rain arrived about 9.30am and fell steadily for the rest of the day.
The roads also became slippery, although Senior Sergeant Pat Cleary of the Ballarat Highway Patrol said there were no major collisions.
“By far the majority of Ballarat drivers have adjusted to the conditions and are driving carefully,” he said.
“We’ve been saying road safety is not just a police matter, and adverse weather conditions are an example of where everyone can jump onboard
“We would remind everyone to drive with care and don’t allow distractions because stopping distances are longer in wet weather.”
Yesterday’s conditions set the tone for the week ahead – grey skies and a 90 per cent chance of between five and 20 millimetres of rain each day until Saturday, and plenty of indoor time for children on school holidays. Temperatures will peak at between 17 degrees and 19 degrees.
Things look brighter on Sunday and Monday, with the sun likely to peek through and possible showers.