Low hanging fog over Canberra on Friday may have been a reminder that winter is coming, but the territory can expect warmer than average temperatures to continue for April after enjoying its equal second warmest March on record.
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A heatwave at the beginning of last month, when Canberra recorded its second longest run of March days above 30 degrees, pushed averages up for the territory.
But despite the territory being stormier than last March, rainfall remained below average, with Canberra receiving almost half the rainfall of the same time last year.
"There were some heavy falls… [but] overall you were under the average, you collected 28.4 mm and your average is 52.7," Weatherzone meteorologist Tristan Meyers said.
The Bureau of Meteorology said mean temperatures in Canberra during March were 2.5 degrees above average.
"You had the warmest nighttime temperatures since 2007 and the warmest maximums since 1998," Mr Meyers said.
"For the most part April will be warmer than average and also drier than average.
"We could have some relief coming towards the end of the month."
The average day temperature in March was the fourth-warmest on record, while the average night lows were the equal sixth-warmest on record.
The above average day and night temperatures during the first half of the month were part of a heatwave which swept much of the country, before a cool change later in March.
The 10 consecutive days above 30 degrees, between March 1 and 10, was the longest spell since 1983 when there were 12 days in a row.
Canberra reached at least 35 degrees on three days in March - the equal-highest number on record and the first March days this warm since 2008.
Nights were also persistently warm, with only six nights falling below 10 degrees - half the historical average and the fewest cool nights since 2000.
The eight rainy days was normal for March, the BOM said, but none recorded more than 10 mm of rain, below the March average of one to two days.
The heaviest rain was during thunderstorms on March 10, when Tuggeranong received 17.2 mm.
Dense fogs on March 22 and Friday morning were caused by low overnight temperatures, Mr Meyers said, common in the shoulder months before winter.
The chance of fog was expected to drop off in coming days when warmer daily maximums were expected, before later next week when a cool change was tipped to hit on Thursday when the maximum was likely to be 20 degrees.
