Finally, the temperature has jumped. It will be warm enough to start thinking about removing a jacket in Canberra.
For the rest of the week including Sunday, maximum temperatures will be a shade under 20 degrees, and on Friday actually reach 20.
This is substantially above the September average which is 17 degrees.
The warm up seems to be serving the Floriade flower festival well. The attendance figures were not available but the organisers said they were very pleased with the numbers so far.
"We've had fantastic attendance," a spokesperson for the ACT government said on Tuesday.
It's not just the good weather, though. The past two Floriades were called off because of COVID, and there is a sense this year that people are making up for lost time.
In 2020, the pandemic was rampant and the lock-down was strict. Last year, everything was ready to roll when the pandemic struck hard, and the festival had to be called off at short notice.
Floriade, by the way, will be open on the public holiday on Thursday. There will be a minute's silence to honour the Queen at 11am on Thursday.
The weather forecast by the Bureau of Meteorology for the remainder of the week is:
- Wednesday (Maximum of 18 degrees; minimum of 5)
- Thursday (Maximum of 18; minimum of 19)
- Friday (Maximum of 20; minimum of 10)
- Saturday (Maximum of 17; minimum of 9)
- Sunday (Maximum of 19; minimum of 3)
The best day of the week falls on the weekend. On Saturday, the balmy temperature will be aided by sunshine and little cloud. "The chance of morning frost. Slight (20 per cent) chance of a shower. Light winds," the Bureau said.
The downside of the warm weather for spring is that it is often accompanied by the rain which has dogged us for months.
According to the Bureau of Meteorology, August was a very wet month for the ACT, with monthly totals at more than twice the average. Some places had their highest total rainfall for the month of August on record. Others experienced the highest total in 20 years.
But plants, unlike humans, often like rain so moisture plus heat bodes well for Floriade.
On Sunday this weekend, Gardening Australia's Costa Georgiadis will give a series of presentations through the day.
Nightfest will run from September 29 to October 2, with the park lit up for several evenings of music, performances, and food and wine.
Entry to Floriade is free and the gates are open from 9am to 5.30pm daily.
