Tuesday, 1 June 2021 - Monthly Climate Summary for Victoria - Product code IDCKGC16R0

Victoria in May 2021: below average rainfall; a warm start and cool end to the month

May rainfall was below average in large areas in the west and north of Victoria, and wetter than average in parts of the east and south-east. Daytime temperatures were warmer than average across the state away from Gippsland. Night-time temperatures were close to average for much of Victoria.

Below average rainfall

• For Victoria as a whole, rainfall was 16% below the long-term May average of 66 mm.
• The month was drier than average in large areas of the state's west and north.
• It was wetter than average in Gippsland and in an area extending west of Melbourne into the Otway Ranges.
• A cold front and a low pressure system that developed over central Victoria early in the month brought cooler conditions along with showers and thunderstorms. The heaviest falls were reported on the 3rd and 4th in the south-west and east of the state.
• The highest daily rainfall total in Victoria this May, 116.6 mm, was recorded on the 4th at Aireys Inlet (on the Surf Coast).
• Another cold front and the associated low pressure system that crossed the state on the 10th resulted in widespread rain with the heaviest falls in the north-east and in Gippsland; parts of East Gippsland reported to 9am on the 12th daily totals in excess of 100 mm.
• Some sites had their highest May daily rainfall on record on the 4th and 12th.
• A series of cold fronts between the 13th and 16th brought moderate rainfall to south-eastern Australia, with strong winds, freezing temperatures, and snow in some alpine regions and lower-lying areas.
• Widespread rainfall was associated with a strong cold front on the 25th; daily totals were generally between 10 and 20 mm, but exceeded 30 mm at many sites in the north-east of Victoria.
• Some sites had their highest total May rainfall on record or highest total May rainfall for at least 20 years.

A warm start and cool end to the month

• May saw a mix of cool and mild to warm days, with mean daytime temperatures above average across most of the state.
• The Victorian mean maximum temperature was 0.93 °C above average, the highest since 2016.
• May started with warm temperatures across Victoria, with daytime temperatures more than 6 degrees above average on first two days of the month, due to the northerly airstream preceding the approaching cold front.
• The highest maximum temperature in the state was 29.4 °C at Hopetown Airport on the 2nd.
• Some sites in eastern and central Victoria had their highest May temperature on record on the 2nd.
• Hamilton Airport and Aireys Inlet had their warmest May night on record.
• Cool temperatures generally followed passages of cold fronts. A strong cold front crossed the state on the 14th, leaving winter-like conditions in its wake.
• Victoria's lowest maximum and minimum temperatures for the month were recorded during this event, with Mount Hotham reaching only −3.9 °C on the 15th and falling to −6.1 °C on the morning of the 16th.
• Combienbar AWS had its coldest May day on record on the 15th.
• May finished with cool night-time temperatures as a large, slow-moving high pressure system dominated the state's weather on the last three days of the month.
• Many sites had their lowest May temperature on record mostly on the 31st.
• The Victorian mean minimum temperature was 0.21 °C below average.
• Cerberus had its lowest May mean daily minimum temperature on record.

Floods, snow, strong winds and frost

• A cold front and low pressure system that crossed the state on 10 May brought showers and thunderstorms. Moderate flooding was observed on the 11th along the Cann River around Chandler's Creek and in the Genoa River.
• A cold front on the 14th brought snow to Lake Mountain, Mount Hotham Mount Buller and Mount Baw Baw.
• The strongest winds in May were recorded on the 16th and 25th with gusts of 126 km/h at Wilsons Promontory Lighthouse and Mount Hotham respectively.
• Widespread frost was observed in many parts of Victoria on the last several days of the month.

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

Click on a map to show it full size in a pop-up window

* 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