Real Climate Records

MELBOURNE, Tues.-Melbourne’s highest temperature since March 25, dust storms in the

Mallee, mists in Bass Strait, and 60 m.p.h. gales at King Island, today were caused by hot northerly winds extending over the whole of Victoria. At 1.10 p.m. Melbourne’s temperature was 89.5 degrees, 18.2 above normal and only 0.8 deg. less than on March 25.

The reading at 3 p.m. was 88 degrees.

Shortly after midday the velocity of the wind in the city reached 57 m.p.h.

The Weather Bureau does not anticipate the expected westerly change to cause a sharp drop in

temperatures tomorrow.

A major breakdown in communications between Melbourne and all places north of the Mur-

ray occurred about 6 p.m. today, when a severe electrical and wind storm blew down nearly a dozen telegraph poles near Wangaratta.

Late tonight there was still no communication with Wangaratta, Albury, Sydney, and Newcastle.

With these channels out, the P.M.G. telephone and telegraph sections were faced with no channels to send Bris bane addressed telegrams from Melbourne.

An old Morse line from Melbourne to Sydney through Mildura, and a circuit to Brisbane through Darwin were brought into operation to clear up arrears of urgent telegrams.

Normally teletype machines are used.

An Essendon airport official said pilots had reported a storm near Wangaratta and Albury, but it did not affect flying schedules.