Canberra has recorded the warmest autumn on record with rainfall well below the seasonal average despite one 24 hour deluge in early May.
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Bureau of Meteorology figures show the mean temperature of 23 degrees was 3 degrees above the historical average and 0.4 degrees above the previous autumn record set in 2005.
The average low was 13.4 degrees although temperatures reached 35.5 degrees at Canberra Airport on March 5, when a prolonged heatwave passed across the southeast of Australia.
"Both daytime and night-time temperatures were well above average throughout the season with few cold spells," a bureau spokesman said.
"Only seven days were below 15 degrees during the season – well below the average of 16 days – while 29 days reached at least 25 degrees, the equal second-highest number on record for autumn."
The lowest temperature recorded was -4.5 in Tuggeranong on Sunday morning with frosts and foggy conditions becoming common during the final week of May.
The seasonal rainfall was close to half the historical average with just 82.8 millimetres recorded at Canberra Airport and 98.2 millimetres at Tuggeranong.
"The rain fell over 20 days, close to the historical average but only one day had more than 10 millimetres of rainfall, the fewest since 2008," the bureau said.
"This was on May 9 when a cold front produced 28.2 millimetres at Canberra Airport and 50.8 millimetres at Mt Ginini."
Nationally, autumn mean temperatures were 1.86 degrees above the 1961-90 average and 1.64 degrees higher than the previous warmest autumn in 2005.
"Mean temperatures were highest on record for almost all of the eastern mainland States, as well as northern and central parts of the Northern Territory, northwest Western Australia and southern Tasmania," the bureau said.
Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane all recorded their warmest temperatures for the season. Close to half of the country experienced its warmest season on record.
Karl Braganza, head of climate monitoring for the bureau, said the key influences were the impact of El Nino and global warming.
With the El Nino now ended in the Pacific, temperatures should drop back closer to their long-term averages in June, he said.
The bureau is forecasting rain in Canberra each day until Sunday with temperatures set to linger around 15 degrees.
Cloud cover will keep overnight temperatures between 4 and 8 degrees making frosts highly unlikely across the territory.
- with Peter Hannam.
