Wednesday, 6 January 2016 - Annual Climate Summary for Victoria - Product code IDCKGC56R0

Victoria in 2015: another warm and dry year

For most of Victoria, rainfall in 2015 was below or very much below average; above average rainfall was recorded mostly in the far east of the State. Maximum temperatures were above the long-term mean across the State; minimum temperatures were generally above average, with nights tending closer to average in part of the State's west.

• Mean maximum temperatures were above average
• Mean minimum temperatures were also mostly above average
• Warmest October and December on record, for both mean and maximum temperatures
• Victoria’s warmest spring on record for mean temperature, and second-warmest on record for maximum temperature
• Mildura registered the highest daily minimum temperature ever recorded at any site in Victoria, on 20 December
• Rainfall mostly below average to very much below average
• Very low rainfall in March, September, October and December
• Many days of strong and damaging winds

For most of Victoria, rainfall during 2015 was below to very much below average. The Statewide average rainfall was 505.2 mm, 23% below the long-term annual mean of 660.2 mm. The rainfall recorded over much of southern Victoria was very much below average, due to a reduced number of rain-bearing cold fronts crossing the State during the year. Above average rainfall was recorded in the far east, and in a small area near Wodonga in the north of Victoria. Only in January and April were there areas that reported rainfall that was very much above average; in other months, it was mostly average to below average, with March, September, October and December being particularly dry (October rainfall was seventh-lowest on record for the month since 1900). The wettest station during the year was Haines Junction/Mt Sabine located in the Otway Ranges with 1889.8 mm, and the driest overall was Swan Hill Aerodrome in the north of the State with 183.0 mm. The wettest day was 18 February when the Snowy River (at McKillops Bridge) station received 149.2 mm of rain.

The whole of Victoria recorded maximum temperatures that were above the long-term average, with very much above average mean maximum temperatures reported for most of the western and central parts of the State. Taken across the whole State, maximum temperatures were 1.00 °C above average, the seventh-highest on record. Summer 2014-2015 saw maximum temperatures above the long-term mean; autumn and winter saw cooler than average temperatures, with winter being the coolest since 1989. In contrast, average maximum temperatures during spring were the second-highest on record, with temperatures nearly 3 °C above the long-term mean. With a mean maximum temperature 5.92 °C above the long-term average for the month, October was Victoria's warmest on record (the previous record was in 1914, with an anomaly of +4.98 °C). The end of the year saw many new daily maximum temperature records set across the State on 19 December; the highest temperature during the year (45.0 °C) in Victoria was recorded on that day at Avalon Airport. December was also Victoria's warmest on record, with a mean maximum temperature 3.78 °C above the long-term average for the month.

Minimum temperatures across the State were mostly above average, with very much above average minimum temperatures recorded in the far east and a few areas in northern Victoria. The Statewide mean minimum temperature was 0.53 °C above average. Summer 2014-2015 saw minimum temperatures that were above the long-term mean, while in autumn they were cooler than average and the lowest since 2006. Winter also saw minimum temperatures below the long-term mean; the coldest morning of the year was on 4 August when Falls Creek recorded −8.6 °C. The cold weather was due to a series of cold fronts and troughs, which brought very cold air masses from the south. In contrast, average minimum temperatures during spring were the fifth-highest on record, mostly due to the highest on record temperatures in October. Victoria's mean minimum temperature for December was the second-highest on record, the highest since 1914. Overnight from 19 to 20 December was exceptionally warm, with Mildura’s minimum temperature of 31.9 °C the highest daily minimum ever recorded at any site in Victoria (for more details see the Special Climate Statement Widespread record December temperatures in southeast Australia).

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top

Notable events in 2015

Extreme heat and fires

• During a heatwave in early October, more than 70 fires burnt in Victoria; the most significant fires included those near Lancefield, Tallarook and Geelong
• The State's early-season maximum temperature record was set during October, as well as numerous site records for consecutive days above particular thresholds (for more details see the Special Climate Statement Australia's warmest October on record)
• Numerous December temperature records were set on the 19th and the 20th
• Fires that started on 19 December burned more than 2200 hectares along the Great Ocean Road, and destroyed 116 houses on Christmas Day

Thunderstorms and strong winds

• A dust storm swept through the Mallee (including Swan Hill and Mildura) on 4 May as winds gusted up to 100 km/h
• A long-lived thunderstorm produced heavy falls of hail in west-central Victoria on 19 May
• Patchy but extensive storms across Victoria on the 11th and 12th of October with intense thunderstorms causing heavy rainfall, fallen trees, hailstones and power outages
• A tornado was reported on 31 October at Strathmerton, west of Cobram, and caused structural damage removing roofs from several houses
• A thunderstorm with hail stones as large as 2.5 cm was recorded near Marysville, Wangaratta, Beechworth and Kinglake on 12 November
• Widespread strong and gusty winds on 25 November resulted in uprooted trees, damaged houses and cars, and power outages in parts of the State

Heavy rain and flooding

• Flash flooding in Bendigo on 9 January associated with a low pressure system that crossed the State

Cold outbreaks and snow

• A significant cold outbreak with widespread snowfalls in elevated parts of the State on the 14th and 15th of July
• There was a light dusting of snow at Falls Creek on the second day of summer, in the wake of a cold front

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top

Maps
	Observed	Anomaly	Decile rank
Total rainfall
Mean daily maximum temperatures
Mean daily minimum temperatures

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Monthly maps
	Rainfall rank	Maximum temperature rank	Minimum temperature rank
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December

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* note: there are gaps in the historical record at this site, so it is possible a lower value has gone unreported.

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top