Wednesday, 1 March 2006

SEASONAL CLIMATE SUMMARY - VICTORIA

Victoria has a warm and humid summer

Rainfall Summary

Summer seasonal rainfall was below normal in most Districts by about 30%, but thunderstorm activity resulted in parts of Central and Northeastern Victoria receiving rainfall near to or above normal.

Click here to view maps of rainfall, and long term climate trends.

Temperature Summary

Summer was warmer than usual, with day-time temperatures averaging mostly between 1 and 2 deg C above normal and night-time temperatures averaging mostly between 0.5 deg C and 1 deg C above normal.

Click here to view maps of temperature, and long term climate trends.

Significant Weather Systems

Summers with weak La Niña conditions are often warmer and more humid than usual in Victoria, and the 2005-2006 Summer was consistent with that pattern.

Melbourne Summary

The average maximum temperature for summer 2005-2006 was 26.9 deg C (1.7 deg C above normal). The average minimum temperature for the season was 15.9 deg C (1.2 deg C above normal). There was 203 mm of rain (50 mm more than the normal). This is the first time since the summer of 1992/93 when the rainfall for each of the three summer months exceeded their respective normals. 

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 temperature.

Please contact us for further information.

Victoria Climate Centre
Bureau of Meteorology
Dr Harvey Stern (03) 9669 4949
Email climate.vic@bom.gov.au

This statement has been prepared based on information available at 11 AM on Wednesday 1 March 2006 . Although every effort has been made to check them, it is possible that results may change as new information becomes available.

Extremes

Weather extremes during 1 December to 28 February 2005-06
Highest temperature Hottest day	45.8 °C	Swan Hill Aerodrome on 31st Dec 2005
Highest mean daily maximum temperature Warmest days on average	33.6 °C	Mildura Airport
Lowest mean daily maximum temperature Coolest days on average	16.3 °C	Mt Hotham
Lowest daily maximum temperature Coldest day	2.4 °C	Mt Hotham on 18th Dec 2005
Lowest temperature Coldest night	-2.7 °C	Mt Hotham on 7th Feb 2006
Lowest mean daily minimum temperature Coldest nights on average	7.6 °C	Mt Hotham
Highest mean daily minimum temperature Mildest nights on average	17.1 °C	Mildura Airport
Highest daily minimum Warmest night	27.9 °C	Mildura Airport on 27th Jan 2006 and Kerang on 27th Jan 2006
Highest total rainfall Wettest overall	213.4 mm	Mt Hotham
Lowest total rainfall Driest overall	20.8 mm	Mildura Airport
Highest daily rainfall Wettest day	64.6 mm	Mt Hotham on 3rd Dec 2005

Records

Record Lowest Total Rainfall for 1 December to 28 February
	Total rainfall for 1 December to 28 February 2005-06 (mm)	Previous lowest for 1 December to 28 February		Years of record
Point Hicks	65.8	84.0	in 1982	44

Record Highest Mean Maximum Temperature for 1 December to 28 February
	Mean daily maximum temperature for 1 December to 28 February 2005-06 (°C)	Previous highest for 1 December to 28 February		Years of record
Point Hicks	24.9	= 24.9	in 2005	38

Record Highest Temperature for 1 December to 28 February
	Highest temperature in 1 December to 28 February 2005-06 (°C)		Previous highest for 1 December to 28 February		Years of record
Maryborough	43.7	on 31st Dec 2005	= 43.7	on 31st Dec 2005	41
Hamilton Airport	43.3	on 31st Dec 2005	= 43.3	on 31st Dec 2005	22

Record Highest Daily Minimum Temperature for 1 December to 28 February
	Highest daily minimum temperature in 1 December to 28 February 2005-06 (°C)		Previous highest for 1 December to 28 February		Years of record
Albury Airport	25.7	on 30th Jan 2006	= 25.7	on 30th Jan 2006	22
Morwell	22.5	on 27th Jan 2006	= 22.5	on 27th Jan 2006	22

Summaries

Summary statistics for 1 December to 28 February 2005-06
	Maximum temperatures for 1 December to 28 February (°C)			Minimum temperatures for 1 December to 28 February (°C)			Rainfall for 1 December to 28 February (mm)
	Mean for 2005-06	Difference from normal	Highest for 2005-06	Mean for 2005-06	Difference from normal	Lowest for 2005-06	Total for 2005-06	Normal total
Ballarat Aerodrome	25.8	+1.7	40.6	10.9	+0.2	3.0	98	128
Benalla	31.4	+1.6	41.8	15.0	+1.3	7.3	79	129
Cape Otway Lighthouse	21.4	+1.0	41.5	13.8	+0.7	8.9	138	142
Castlemaine Prison	28.1	+0.8	42.0	12.6	+0.5	4.1	133	113
East Sale Airport	26.3	+1.6	41.6	13.0	+0.6	6.1	101	138
Echuca Aerodrome	32.1	+2.2	44.6	14.9	+0.6	6.7	58	88
Horsham	30.8	+2.0	45.5	12.0	-0.7	5.5	48	73
Kerang	32.3	+1.8	45.0	15.4	+0.8	9.0	80	79
Lake Eildon	29.2	+1.6	40.4	12.4	+0.6	5.6	171	149
Longerenong	30.6	+1.6	45.6	12.2	-0.2	4.0	43	74
Mangalore Airport	29.6	+1.1	41.9	13.5	+0.1	4.7	100	118
Maryborough	29.0	+1.1	43.7	13.1	+0.5	5.8	62	107
Melbourne Regional Office	26.9	+1.7	42.9	15.9	+1.2	10.9	203	153
Mildura Airport	33.6	+2.4	45.1	17.1	+1.2	8.9	21	63
Nhill	30.4	+1.5	45.0	12.4	0	4.4	43	69
Ouyen	33.1	+1.8	45.2	15.8	+1.0	9.1	33	72
Point Hicks	24.9	+2.2	35.7	16.1	+0.8	7.1	66	197
Wilsons Promontory Lighthouse	21.3	+1.5	37.1	15.0	+1.0	10.7	156	157
Wonthaggi	24.0	+0.8	41.4	13.6	+1.5	7.8	189	147

Note

This statement has been prepared based on information available at 11 AM on Wednesday 1 March 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.

Please contact us for further information.

Victoria Climate Centre
Bureau of Meteorology
Dr Harvey Stern (03) 9669 4949
Email climate.vic@bom.gov.au