BALLARAT shivered through its coldest March in 24 years, with days two degrees cooler than average, according to Weatherzone.Figures released yesterday showed the average daytime March temperature in Ballarat was 20 degrees, 2 degrees less than the long-term norm, but the nights were slightly warmer, averaging just above 10 degrees, or 0.3 degrees higher.No day in March recorded a temperature above 30 degrees, which Weatherzone meteorologist Brett Dutschke described as unusual.Ballarat’s March average daytime temperature was 3.5 degrees less than Melbourne — 23.5 degrees, or half a degree below the long-term norm. Melbourne also had warmer nights than Ballarat, averaging 14.9 degrees, or almost 5 degrees higher than this region.Mr Dutschke said Ballarat should look forward to warmer days for the remaining two months of autumn.Ballarat also experienced its driest March in five years, Mr Dutschke said yesterday.Only 20.2 millimetres of rain fell in Ballarat, under half the 48 millimetre average for the month of March.
