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MONTHLY CLIMATE SUMMARY - VICTORIA
Most of Victoria experienced a slightly drier than normal December, although there were some pockets of above average rainfall, mostly associated with thunderstorm activity. For example, both Stawell and Warracknabeal received about twice their usual allocation of rain. By contrast, Ouyen had less than half.
Click here to view maps of rainfall for Victoria, and long term climate trends for Victoria.
Temperatures were above normal throughout the State, and the month ended with many places recording their highest December readings on record on the 31st.
Click here to view maps of temperature for Victoria, and long term climate trends for Victoria.
The month was characterised by strong westerly flow across waters south of the continent. This flow was occasionally interupted by thunderstorm-bearing cold fronts. Westerly flow allows the continent to steadily heat up, as it prevents incursions of cold air from invading the inland. This means that all that is required for places in southern Australia to register abnormally high temperatures is for a northerly wind to bring the heat southwards. That was what happened at the end of the month.
Melbourne had a very warm December with many days of thunderstorms. The average maximum temperature for December 2005 was the highest on record.
Included in this summary are a table of State extremes, some new records, and summaries for locations across the State. Visit our maps of rainfall and temperatures for this month.
This statement has been prepared based on information available at 12 PM on Thursday 5 January 2006 . Although every effort has been made to check them, it is possible that results may change as new information becomes available.
Weather extremes during December 2005 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Highest temperature Hottest day |
45.8 °C | Swan Hill Aerodrome on 31st | |
| Highest mean daily maximum temperature Warmest days on average |
32.2 °C | Mildura Airport | |
| Lowest mean daily maximum temperature Coolest days on average |
13.0 °C | Mt Hotham | |
| Lowest daily maximum temperature Coldest day |
2.4 °C | Mt Hotham on 18th | |
| Lowest temperature Coldest night |
-2.6 °C | Mt Hotham on 18th | |
| Lowest mean daily minimum temperature Coldest nights on average |
5.0 °C | Mt Hotham | |
| Highest mean daily minimum temperature Mildest nights on average |
15.0 °C | Mildura Airport | |
| Highest daily minimum Warmest night |
25.8 °C | Ouyen (Post Office) on 31st | |
| Highest total rainfall Wettest overall |
122.8 mm | Mt Hotham | |
| Lowest total rainfall Driest overall |
9.6 mm | Ouyen (Post Office) | |
| Highest daily rainfall Wettest day |
64.6 mm | Mt Hotham on 3rd | |
Record Highest Mean Maximum Temperature for December |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Mean daily maximum temperature for December 2005 (°C) |
Previous highest for December |
Years of record |
||
| Melbourne Regional Office | 27.7 | 27.3 | in 1873 |
151 |
| Point Hicks | 24.5 | 23.9 | in 1994 |
35 |
| Bairnsdale Airport | 25.8 | 25.7 | in 2000 |
25 |
| Portland | 22.5 | 21.9 | in 1994 |
24 |
Highest Mean Maximum Temperature for 20 years or more for December |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Mean daily maximum temperature for December 2005 (°C) |
Most recent higher for December |
||
| Wilsons Promontory Lighthouse | 21.9 | 22.6 | in 1878 |
| Cape Otway Lighthouse | 21.6 | 21.8 | in 1960 |
Record Highest Temperature for December |
||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Highest temperature in December 2005 (°C) |
Previous highest for December |
Years of record |
||||
| Wilsons Promontory Lighthouse | 37.1 | on 31st |
37.0 | on 10th in 1980 |
129 | |
| Echuca Aerodrome | 44.6 | on 31st |
41.7 | on 1st in 1962 |
123 | |
| Nhill | 45.0 | on 31st |
44.4 | on 27th in 1901 |
105 | |
| Benalla | 41.8 | on 31st |
40.4 | on 17th in 2002 |
102 | |
| Horsham | 45.5 | on 31st |
42.5 | on 10th in 1980 |
98 | |
| Maryborough | 43.7 | on 31st |
40.6 | on 10th in 1980 |
98 | |
| Ballarat Aerodrome | 40.6 | on 31st |
38.3 | on 10th in 1980 |
97 | |
| Kerang | 45.0 | on 31st |
42.5 | on 31st in 1976 |
94 | |
| Longerenong | 45.6 | on 31st |
42.4 | on 10th in 1980 |
70 | |
| Ouyen | 45.2 | on 31st |
44.4 | on 19th in 1957 |
69 | |
| Mildura Airport | 45.1 | on 31st |
44.2 | on 31st in 1981 |
60 | |
| Castlemaine Prison | 42.0 | on 31st |
40.0 | on 10th in 1980 |
38 | |
| Lake Eildon | 40.4 | on 31st |
38.8 | on 25th in 1980 |
36 | |
| Warracknabeal Museum | 45.0 | on 31st |
44.0 | on 10th in 1980 |
34 | |
| Hamilton Airport | 43.3 | on 31st |
40.7 | on 11th in 1998 |
23 | |
| Albury Airport | 42.2 | on 31st |
40.5 | on 19th in 1994 |
22 | |
| Noojee | 39.0 | on 31st |
37.4 | on 21st in 2000 |
22 | |
| Morwell | 39.2 | on 30th |
38.8 | on 12th in 1998 |
21 | |
Summary statistics for December 2005 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maximum temperatures for December (°C) |
Minimum temperatures for December (°C) |
Rainfall for December (mm) |
||||||
| Mean for 2005 | Difference from normal | Highest for 2005 | Mean for 2005 | Difference from normal | Lowest for 2005 | Total for 2005 | Normal total | |
| Albury Airport | 29.2 | +0.8 | 42.2 | 13.2 | +0.1 | 9.0 | 63 | 53 |
| Bairnsdale Airport | 25.8 | +2.4 | 39.5 | 11.3 | +0.2 | 6.9 | 54 | 61 |
| Ballarat Aerodrome | 24.8 | +2.3 | 40.6 | 9.0 | -0.6 | 3.0 | 52 | 47 |
| Benalla | 28.8 | +0.4 | 41.8 | 12.2 | -0.2 | 7.3 | 28 | 54 |
| Bendigo Airport | 28.2 | +1.7 | 43.1 | 11.2 | -1.5 | 4.6 | 30 | 40 |
| Cape Otway Lighthouse | 21.6 | +2.5 | 32.3 | 13.2 | +1.1 | 10.1 | 54 | 57 |
| Castlemaine Prison | 26.7 | +1.1 | 42.0 | 10.9 | +0.2 | 4.1 | 62 | 42 |
| Cerberus | 24.9 | +2.9 | 36.8 | 11.9 | -1.7 | 6.4 | 70 | 56 |
| Colac | 25.1 | +1.8 | 35.7 | 10.6 | +1.0 | 6.7 | 25 | 51 |
| Coldstream | 26.6 | +1.8 | 40.8 | 9.3 | +0.3 | 4.9 | 64 | 74 |
| East Sale Airport | 25.7 | +2.4 | 38.3 | 11.3 | -0.2 | 6.1 | 46 | 58 |
| Echuca Aerodrome | 30.5 | +2.0 | 44.6 | 12.7 | -0.5 | 5.7 | 19 | 29 |
| Geelong Airport | 26.5 | +4.0 | 36.9 | 11.0 | +0.2 | 7.1 | 37 | 43 |
| Hamilton Airport | 26.9 | +3.3 | 43.3 | 10.2 | +0.7 | 5.4 | 23 | 43 |
| Horsham | 30.1 | +2.8 | 45.5 | 10.8 | -1.0 | 5.5 | 17 | 23 |
| Kerang | 30.5 | +1.2 | 45.0 | 13.3 | -0.3 | 9.0 | 32 | 28 |
| Kilmore Gap | 24.2 | +2.5 | 39.0 | 10.7 | +0.9 | 5.0 | 38 | 57 |
| Lake Eildon | 27.0 | +1.0 | 40.4 | 11.2 | +0.4 | 6.0 | 85 | 61 |
| Longerenong | 29.7 | +2.4 | 45.6 | 10.5 | -0.8 | 4.0 | 18 | 24 |
| Mangalore Airport | 27.0 | +0.1 | 36.7 | 10.6 | -1.2 | 4.7 | 28 | 44 |
| Maryborough | 27.8 | +1.7 | 43.7 | 11.3 | -0.1 | 5.8 | 32 | 38 |
| Melbourne Regional Office | 27.7 | +3.6 | 42.9 | 14.6 | +0.9 | 11.0 | 82 | 58 |
| Mildura Airport | 32.2 | +2.2 | 45.1 | 15.0 | +0.1 | 8.9 | 15 | 22 |
| Morwell | 26.6 | +3.0 | 39.2 | 11.1 | -0.1 | 5.4 | 54 | 74 |
| Mt Hotham | 13.0 | -1.1 | 24.4 | 5.0 | -0.1 | -2.6 | 123 | 115 |
| Nhill | 29.3 | +1.8 | 45.0 | 13.3 | +1.9 | 0.0 | 16 | 26 |
| Noojee | 24.7 | +2.5 | 39.0 | 10.0 | +0.3 | 5.6 | 83 | 95 |
| Orbost | 26.0 | +2.3 | 38.0 | 12.8 | +0.7 | 8.9 | 46 | 87 |
| Ouyen | 31.8 | +1.7 | 45.2 | 14.3 | +0.5 | 9.1 | 10 | 25 |
| Point Hicks | 24.5 | +3.0 | 35.7 | 14.4 | +0.2 | 7.1 | 35 | 75 |
| Portland | 22.5 | +2.6 | 34.1 | 11.2 | +0.4 | 7.2 | 48 | 49 |
| Shepparton Airport | 29.6 | +1.9 | 42.8 | 12.0 | -0.6 | 8.1 | 33 | 44 |
| Stawell Aerodrome | 27.7 | +2.1 | 43.5 | 11.5 | +0.3 | 5.8 | 45 | 26 |
| Swan Hill Aerodrome | 31.2 | +1.7 | 45.8 | 13.3 | -0.7 | 7.7 | 31 | 24 |
| Wangaratta Aero | 29.0 | +0.3 | 41.6 | 10.7 | -0.8 | 6.4 | 32 | 37 |
| Warracknabeal Museum | 29.8 | +1.2 | 45.0 | 12.3 | +0.2 | 7.5 | 41 | 24 |
| Warrnambool Airport Ndb | 25.1 | +4.5 | 36.2 | 10.2 | 0 | 5.3 | 32 | 63 |
| Wilsons Promontory Lighthouse | 21.9 | +3.3 | 37.1 | 14.1 | +1.2 | 10.7 | 75 | 63 |
| Wonthaggi | 24.0 | +2.3 | 32.4 | 12.6 | +1.3 | 8.6 | 73 | 61 |
| Yarrawonga | 30.3 | +0.5 | 43.2 | 13.1 | +0.4 | 8.2 | 23 | 37 |
This statement has been prepared based on information available at
12 PM on Thursday 5 January 2006
. Although every effort has been made to check them,
it is possible that results may change as new information becomes available.
Long term averages are calculated using the WMO standard of 1961 to 1990.
Climate averages for Victoria localities are available
here.
Please use the following localities to cover these regions: Coldstream for the Yarra
Glen area; Ceberus for the Mornington Peninsula; Morwell for the Latrobe Valley;
Mangalore for Seymour; Mt Hotham for the Alpine area.
Daily Weather Observations for selected Victoria localities are available
here.
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