Top End’s Wettest Month

Script This is not your usual September scene and it's got Territorians scratching their heads. “I thought it was the wet season come early, and hopefully it has!” “Everyone said it was maybe 40 mls or something, but we weren’t expecting it that heavy this morning.” “I'd been told the dry season was going to be hanging around a bit longer, but what surprised me most was how excited everyone is” And it’s not surprising. Darwin had it’s wettest September day in 43 years. With the suburb of Nightcliff recording it's wettest September day ever, with 75 millimetres overnight. “This is definitely a sign that the build-up is arriving. Typically, we see our first 50 mm of rain fall at around mid-October for the northwest top end, but now obviously it's a few weeks early.” The rain creating a busy morning on Darwin roads, Police responding to 7 crashes. “The wet season changes our road driving conditions significantly, so our plea to everyone on the road is not only to drive safely but to drive to the conditions. If you are new to the territory and you haven’t experienced a first wet season previously, you need to make sure you slow down.” And while one day of rain won't have too much of an impact, fruit farmers are worried continuing showers might damage their crops. “If we have continuous rain, it can be an issue with fungal problems. Growers won’t be able to go and apply fungicides if the trees are constantly wet.” The early rain has raised questions about what the next few months will look like, as the dry season officially comes to an end. Does is mean a shorter or less painful build up? The bureau says that might be wishful thinking. “don't expect to wake up to a downpour again tomorrow, we might see the odd shower again overnight and over the next few days there could be the odd shower around. But this is a one-off event for this time.” A very wet end to the dry.