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The Canberra Times
The Canberra Times
National
Steve Evans

Make the most of the sunshine before the rain returns

Friends Izabelle Starr Weber-Savins (left) from Brisbane and Ruby Craig from Byron Bay enjoying a warm day out on the banks of Lake Burley Griffin. Picture by Keegan Carroll

Don't be fooled by the sunshine. The rains are forecast to return to Canberra from Thursday.

The Bureau of Meteorology says there's more than a 90 per cent chance of rain right through the weekend, with possible thunderstorms from Friday to Monday and beyond.

Friday looks like being the peak, with a 100 per cent certainty of rain, according to the bureau, with 20 to 30 millimetres forecast.

The October rains follow a wetter-than-usual September, with the ACT's average rainfall in the month 34 per cent higher than average.

Ice-cream weather for Sam Kandel (4) and his father Rabin. Picture by Keegan Carroll

On top of that, September was slightly colder than usual. The days were about average but the nights were colder than usual. On the chilliest night, September 20, temperatures went two degrees below freezing.

The good news is that the rain will damp down the pollen at the start of the season for those allergic to the stuff that comes from grass. The season of pollen from trees is just ending and the second phase of high pollen is just beginning.

Asthma sufferers have complained that Canberra has been agony for them in recent weeks.

Asthmatic Caitlin Ross has left Canberra for the clearer air of the coast. Picture by Keegan Carroll

Caitlin Ross who gets bad asthma when the pollen count rises has actually got out of Canberra to go to the coast to escape the current "awful" conditions. "It's so awful I'm actually in Perth right now to get away from it," she said.

She monitors air quality constantly, and bemoans the abundance of lush grass caused by the heavy rains. The rain has been so heavy because of a weather phenomenon called "La Nina" where different temperatures in different parts of the Pacific cause rain over Australia.

"The La Nina just encourages the plant growth so much more than normal and the third one in a row means that we've just had no reprieve," she said.

According to the Asthma Association, one in eight Canberrans are asthmatic - higher than the national average.

And it said that the ACT had the highest rate of hay fever in Australia, with nearly one-third of residents suffering.

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