Thursday, 1 October 2020 - Monthly Climate Summary for Victoria - Product code IDCKGC16R0

Victoria in September 2020: warm days and nights; dry in the east

September rainfall was below average across most of eastern Victoria and parts of the North districts; Gippsland had very much below average rainfall with some areas experiencing their driest September on record; it was a wetter than average month in parts of Victoria's West Coast and West Central districts, and in the far north-west. Both daytime and night-time temperatures were warmer than average across most of Victoria, and much warmer than average in East Gippsland.

Drier than average in eastern Victoria

• Averaged across the state, rainfall was 23% below the long-term mean.
• September was drier than average across most of eastern Victoria and parts of the North districts; Gippsland had very much below average rainfall with some areas experiencing their driest September on record.
• It was a wetter than average month in parts of Victoria's West Coast and West Central districts, and in the far north-west of the state.
• After a mostly dry start to the month, a slow moving rain band associated with a low-pressure trough brought rainfall to most of Victoria on the 13th, with many sites in the south of the state recording daily totals above 25 mm.
• The highest daily rainfall total in Victoria this September, 42.4 mm, was recorded at Cerberus on the 13th.
• A cut-off low pressure system moved north of Victoria on the 19th, bringing rainfall mostly to the north-east of the state.
• Several cold fronts associated with a complex area of low pressure crossed Victoria between the 21st and the 25th and brought widespread rainfall and snowfalls.
• Some sites had their highest September daily rainfall on record.

Warm days and nights

• Both daytime and night-time temperatures were warmer than average across most of Victoria.
• Averaged across the state, mean maximum and minimum temperatures were 1.51 °C and 1.01 °C above average respectively.
• Mean maximum temperatures were much warmer than average in most of Gippsland.
• Mean minimum temperatures were much warmer than average in the far north-west of Victoria, central areas surrounding Melbourne, East Gippsland and in parts of Northeast districts.
• Despite the generally mild weather, there were some cold days and nights.
• A series of cold fronts crossed Victoria between the 21st and 25th, generating strong and gusty winds, and leaving polar air in their wake.
• On the 25th, daytime temperatures were generally 5 to 8 °C below the September average across the state, with some sites recording late-season low maximum temperature records, and Dartmouth Reservoir had its coldest September day on record.
• Mount Hotham saw both the lowest daytime and the lowest night-time temperature in Victoria this month, −2.9 °C on the 25th and −6.9 °C on the morning of the 26th respectively.
• Some sites had their lowest September temperature on record.

Winds, dust and snow

• Victoria experienced strong gusty winds on several days this September, associated with the passage of vigorous cold fronts; wind gusts of 107 km/h were recorded at Mount Hotham on the 2nd, Mount William (Grampians) on the 8th and at Wilsons Promontory Lighthouse on the 22nd; the strongest wind gust this month of 117 km/h was recorded on the 26th at Wilsons Promontory Lighthouse.
• On the 2nd, strong winds raised a large cloud of dust in Victoria's dry north; "muddy rain" was observed in parts of central Victoria on the 3rd, as dust that had been lifted from further north was carried over the state and was brought to the surface locally by showers.
• Widespread heavy snow fell on the 25th in the Victorian Alps and blanketed parts of the south-west and central Victoria; snow fell to the lower levels in some areas of western Victoria, including at Mount Macedon, the Otway Ranges, Ballarat, Lismore, Ararat and Mortlake.

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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Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top