Bureau of Meteorology warns of ‘bushfire potential’ after wettest spring

After widespread flooding, it’s no surprise Victoria has had its wettest spring on record.

Victoria has had its wettest spring on record, according to the Bureau of Meteorology with some regions receiving more than 322mm of rain.

In releasing its quarterly long-range forecast, senior climatologist Jonathan Pollock said it was the northern parts of the state that had felt the wet weather most.

Shepparton saw rains of up to 280.8mm, the highest in 25 years, while Mooroopna broke 125-year records at 322.8mm.

“It’s been a very wet spring, breaking some long standing records,” Mr Pollock said, “with all the rainfall and extra cloud the temperatures were a lot cooler than usual”.

But the rain is set to ease, he said, with a “pretty neutral” summer ahead.

Bureau of Meteorology spring rainfall map for Victoria. Picture: Supplied

“We had this cool wet season but the prediction for summer is pretty neutral for a lot of the parts of Victoria,” Mr Pollock said.

“It’s not showing a strong push to above or below rates in rainfall.”

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However, the “cooler temperatures (will) persist” for a while.

Despite the currently sodden earch, the Goulburn Valley region will still have a normal bushfire season.

“We are expecting later on in the season as things dry out, some of the addition fuel could come available for fires,” Mr Pollock said.

“They’ve got some bushfire potential overall.”