Victoria in Winter 2006 - dry with cold nights and mild days

Rainfall Summary

On account of the persistence of high pressure systems, most of Victoria had below average rainfall. Several places experienced their driest winter on record, including Harrietville and Woods Point in the northeast, Callignee North, Drouin and Korumburra in Gippsland, and also Ballarat and Casterton in the west. After several months of mixed signals, a pattern of sea surface temperature consistent with drier than usual conditions emerged during August. However, to qualify as an El Niño event, the central to eastern Pacific ocean needs to warm by a further 0.5°C over the next two to four months and computer forecast values generally do not rise above El Niño thresholds during 2006.

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

Temperature Summary

Across Victoria minimum temperatures were generally well below normal, with many inland localities recording temperatures below minus 5 degrees during several nights. By contrast, maximum temperatures were slightly above normal. This was a result of the predominantly clear skies, which occurred on account of the persistence of high pressure systems for much of the season.

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

Significant Weather Systems

The main feature of the winter has been the prevalence of strong blocking high pressure systems, most of which remained close to Victoria. These systems prevented most cold fronts from affecting the State. Sea surface temperatures off the northwest coast of Australia were below normal for much of the winter, which meant that the northwest cloud bands, which usually bring rain during the winter months, failed to form. Towards the end of the season, an anticyclone had established itself over the Tasman Sea, allowing unusually warm air to flow over the State from the north.

Melbourne Summary

Melbourne’s average minimum temperature was 7.2 degrees, slightly above normal (7.1 degrees). With less of an urban heat island effect, nights were colder in most of the suburbs, with Laverton averaging 5.1 degrees, Essendon averaging 5.5 degrees, and Moorabbin averaging 6.0 degrees. The influence of the Bay resulted in nights being milder at Frankston, which averaged 7.7 degrees.

The average maximum temperature in Melbourne was 15.3 degrees, slightly above normal (14.3 degrees). With less of a heat island effect, maximum temperatures were slightly cooler in the suburbs, with Frankston (which was also influenced by the Bay) averaging 13.2 degrees, Essendon averaging 14.2 degrees, Moorabbin averaging 14.4 degrees, and Laverton averaging 14.7 degrees.

Melbourne’s rainfall for the season totalled to 94.6 mm, well below the normal of 148.7 mm. It was much drier in the western suburbs, with Laverton recording 75.6 mm, and Altona, which recorded only 54.2 mm for the season, experiencing its driest winter on record (previous record: 77.6 mm in the Winter of 1994).

Visit our maps of rainfall and temperatures for this month.

Please contact us for further information.

Victoria Climate Services 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 10 AM on Friday 1 September 2006. Although every effort has been made to check them, it is possible that results may change as new information becomes available.

Note

Long term averages are calculated using the WMO standard of 1961 to 1990.
Climate averages for Victoria localities are available here.
Daily Weather Observations, including monthly rainfall totals and mean minimum and maximum temperatures, for selected Victoria localities are available here.