IT might be winter in Ballarat, and while it hasn't necessarily been as cold as we can sometimes expect, the amount of rain, which has already exceeded the monthly average, is making life very dreary indeed.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
While Ballarat and regional Victoria has been out of lockdown for two weeks, for many there's no doubt been a feeling that being confined to homes might not be a bad thing this month.
With a week still left in June, the city has already recorded more than its monthly average of rainfall, hitting 64.6mm as of Wednesday afternoon. The June average is 62.3mm.
And coming off the back of what was generally a pleasant May where temperatures were 0.4 of a degree warmer than usual, it's made the return to winter very difficult to deal with.
Already this month, three major winter cold fronts have come through, including the massive storm which lasted for three days between June 9 and 11.
In that three-day period, more than 30mm fell in the Ballarat gauge alone, but we got out pretty easily compared to areas just to the north east including Trentham that went days without power.
But the cloud cover has provided one silver lining as it has meant that we have yet to see many frosts which June can be known for.
While there has been a couple of cold mornings, only twice has the temperature dropped below zero and day time temperatures have on average been .6 of a degree warmer at 11.7 degrees, up from the normal 11.1.
And as we head into the dead of winter, there's not much light on the horizon with the next few days expected to bring more rainfall before we might see some sunshine on Saturday.