Until late Friday night, the last time Alice Springs saw rain was 24 April.  Winter is typically dry for fro the Northern Territory town, but going 157 days without measurable rain is amazing.

Record-breaking as a matter of fact.

The old record was 147 days back in 1972.

It was only 3mm that fell overnight Friday into early Saturday, but it was enough to bring the long dry spell to an end.  Ironically, September is the driest month of the year.

But that 3mm will have to do for a while.  No additional rain is in the forecast for the next several days.  The next chance for rain will be along about Friday, but even then whatever falls should be very light.

WeatherWatch.co.nz Analyst Howard Joseph