Monday, 1 April 2019 - Monthly Climate Summary for Victoria - Product code IDCKGC16R0

Victoria in March 2019: warmer than average

March 2019 for Victoria was drier than average. Both daytime and night-time temperatures were warmer than average

Warm days and nights

• Days and nights were warmer than average across most of Victoria in March
• March began with warm daytime temperatures across the State, a continuation of the heatwave that started in the last week of February
• The highest temperature in Victoria during March was 41.5 °C at Hopetoun Airport on the 3rd
• In the first four days of the month, several sites had their highest March temperature on record
• Mornings were also particularly mild at the beginning of month and several sites had their warmest March night on record
• The highest night-time temperature in Victoria in March was 26.5 °C, recorded at Cape Otway Lighthouse on the 2nd
• A strong cold front crossed the State on the 6th, bringing a rapid drop in temperatures across Victoria
• The coldest night-time temperature this month was -3.5 °C, recorded at Mount Hotham on the 7th
• Mild to warm weather mostly prevailed until the 29th, when a cold front brought another sharp drop in temperatures across the State
• The coldest day in Victoria this month saw 0.6 °C at Mount Baw Baw on the 30th; on the same day, some sites had their coldest March day on record
• State-wide, mean maximum and minimum temperatures were 1.20 °C and 1.26 °C respectively above their long-term March averages

Drier than average month

• Most of central and western Victoria observed drier than average conditions during March; only areas in the State's northeast recorded above average rainfall totals (approximately 10% of the State's territory)
• State-wide, March rainfall was 33% below the long-term March mean of 41 mm
• Most of the Mallee, and parts of the Wimmera and North districts received less than 20% of their March average
• Several cold fronts and low pressure troughs brought mostly light to moderate rainfall to parts of Victoria during March, most notably on the 18th and 19th to Gippsland and, more widespread, on the 25th, 29th and the 30th
• The highest daily rainfall total recorded in the State was 116 mm at Mt Hotham on the 25th; this was also Mount Hotham's highest March daily rainfall on record
• The highest totals for the month were in the northeast of Victoria; Mount Hotham was the State's wettest site with 197 mm
• Several sites had either their lowest total March rainfall on record or their lowest total March rainfall for at least 20 years

Bushfires and strong winds

• More than 30 bushfires burned across Victoria in the first week of March; most of them were sparked by lightning over the ranges to the east of Melbourne
• The largest fire was in the Bunyip State Park, about 65 km east of Melbourne, where more than 10,000 hectares has burnt
• A vigorous cold front crossed the State on the 25th, producing damaging winds, with many sites recording gusts in excess of 80 km/h; the strongest wind gust in Victoria this month, 124 km/h, was recorded at Wilsons Promontory Lighthouse on the 25th; the Victorian State Emergency Service (SES) responded to more than 140 calls for help, mostly for downed trees and building damage

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

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top