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Unseasonably warm tonight in VIC

Tristan Meyers, Thursday July 21, 2016 - 11:23 EST

Tonight could be the warmest July night in many years for much of Victoria.

The tropical airmass that was inundating parts of NSW and QLD with heavy rain will make its way further south. Tonight as this warm airmass moves overhead, northerly winds will strengthen ahead of a trough. The combination of warm, humid air and strong winds will make for an unusually warm night in VIC.

For many, this will at least be the warmest night since autumn. Although that may not seem like a long time, forecast temperatures tonight are as high as nine degrees above the norm for this time of year, such as in Corryong with a minimum of 10 degrees. However, for places like Echuca and Ouyen, the 12 and 13 degree respective minimums would equate to their warmest July night in over 40 years. In Colac, the 10 degree forecast minimum is just shy of the 10.7 degree July record.

For the state's capital, the overnight temperature of 13 degrees is seven degrees above the average for this time of year. If it gets over 14.3 degrees [57.74F], Melbourne would have its hottest July night since records began in 1855.

Unfortunately, these warm temperatures will affect the Alpine region as well; Mt Hotham and Mt Buller will fail to drop to below freezing for the better part of the next two days, and have already been well above freezing since Sunday. This combined with potentially heavy rain tomorrow will make for some significant snow melt.

Nevertheless, winter will make a dramatic return on Friday, as a cold front crashes across the state. This will cause temperatures to plummet, first in the west, and then in central and eastern parts in the afternoon or evening. Along with showers, snow should fall across the Alpine region, helping to make up for any lost over the last week.

- Weatherzone

http://www.weatherzone.com.au/news/unseasonably-warm-tonight-in-vic/524686