Indigo Shire sweated through one of its hottest Januarys on record as a cool change finally kicked in at the change of the month. Former CSIRO meteorologist Peter Nelson said Rutherglen’s mean maximum temperature of 36 degrees last month fell one degree short of 2019’s 100-year January record. According to the Bureau of Meteorology, Rutherglen finished the month with seven straight days of more than 41-degree temperatures and with 10 days of more than 40 degrees for the month. The hottest day came last Wednesday when the mercury hit 45.6 degrees which fell just shy of the hottest temperature ever recorded within the town according to Mr Nelson, at 46.8 degrees on Black Friday, 13 January 1939. February began in much more pleasant conditions, with temperatures below 30 degrees for the first three days of the month. However, strong heat was forecast to return to the region this weekend, with 38 degrees forecasted for Rutherglen on Saturday according to the Bureau.
