Monday, 2 May 2016 - Monthly Climate Summary for Victoria - Product code IDCKGC16R0

Victoria in April 2016: Warm with below average rainfall

For most of Victoria, April rainfall was below to very much below average, with average rainfall recorded only in central areas north of Melbourne, parts of the West Coast and in a small area around Sale. April maximum temperatures were generally very much above average throughout the State. Minimum temperatures were above average, with very much above average minimum temperatures recorded only in parts of southern, central and eastern Victoria.

• Daytime and overnight temperatures above average overall
• Victoria's second-warmest April on record
• Late-season high temperature records at a number of sites
• Rainfall well below average for much of Victoria

For Victoria, the month was dominated by high pressure systems resulting in mostly dry conditions. April rainfall was 62% below average. Mallacoota had its lowest total April rainfall since 1981. Cold fronts on the 6th, 22nd and 29th brought some rain to southern and central parts of the State, with totals mostly in the 10-20 mm range and only locally higher falls. The highest registered total for the month was 126.8 mm Haines Junction/Mount Sabine, while the highest daily total of 55.6 mm was registered at Mount Hotham on the 30th.

Victoria recorded above average mean maximum temperatures in April; the statewide average maximum temperature was 2.30 °C above the long-term mean, the fourth-highest since records began in 1910 and the highest since 2005. Most sites had maximum temperatures between 1.5 and 2.5 °C above the April average. Warm northerly winds brought unseasonably high temperatures to the State on several days, and on the 20th Mildura Airport recorded 33.0 °C, the highest daily maximum temperature during the month. Several sites, particularly in the west of the State, recorded late-season high maximum temperature records on the 20th.

Minimum temperatures were generally average to above average, with very much above average minimum temperatures in the south and east of Victoria. The statewide average minimum temperature was 1.00 °C above the long-term mean. Some nights were particularly warm, for example on the 21st and 28th, when many late-season temperature records were set across the State. Both Cerberus and Wonthaggi recorded a minimum temperature of 21.1 °C on the 28th. The coldest night during April, −1.7 °C, was recorded at Falls Creek on the 23rd, in a wake of a cold front that brought a sharp decrease in temperatures across the State after it crossed on the 22nd.

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

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

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top