Friday, 1 May 2020 - Monthly Climate Summary for Victoria - Product code IDCKGC16R0

Victoria in April 2020: cool days, wetter than average

April was wetter than average in most of the State, with large parts of northern and central Victoria very much wetter than average. Daytime temperatures were below average across Victoria away from the east, while night-time temperatures generally tended to be close to average.

Above average rainfall

• April was wetter than average in most of the State, with large parts of northern and central Victoria very much wetter than average
• Averaged across the State, April rainfall was exactly double the long-term April mean of 51 mm, this was the third wettest April on record, and the wettest since 1974
• Most of Victoria's north and parts of the Central district have received more than double their average April rainfall
• At the beginning of the month, a low pressure trough brought rainfall to Victoria with isolated totals to 9am on the 2nd of more than 50 mm in the northeast of the State
• More cold fronts followed on the 3rd and 5th bringing heavy rainfall to eastern and central Victoria, including Greater Melbourne, with many sites recording daily totals between 30 mm and 50 mm, and locally higher falls
• A series of cold fronts crossed the State in the last five days of the month, bringing heavy rainfall especially to the northeast of Victoria
• Some sites had their highest April daily rainfall on record, including Lancefield and Redesdale which both have more than 100 years of record
• Many sites had their highest total April rainfall on record or their highest total April rainfall for at least two decades
• Victoria's highest monthly total this April was 417.2 mm recorded at Falls Creek (Rocky Valley)
• The first four months of 2020 have been wetter than average for most of Victoria, and especially in the central and northern districts; statewide, it has been the wettest start to the year since 2011

Below average daytime temperatures

• Daytime temperatures were cooler than average across Victoria away from the east, due to the multiple "bursts" of cold air and increased cloud cover, which followed the passage of cold fronts
• Averaged across the State, maximum temperature was 1.25 °C below the April average, the lowest since 2006
• Ballarat Aerodrome and Sheoaks had their lowest April mean daily maximum temperature for at least 20 years
• The highest maximum temperature recorded in Victoria was 29.7 °C at Mildura Airport and Walpeup Research on the 15th; this was first time since 1999 that the highest April maximum temperature in Victoria was below 30 °C
• A polar air mass followed in a wake of a vigorous cold front which crossed Victoria on the 29th, with temperatures plummeting more than 8 degrees below the April average
• Some sites had their coldest April day on record on the 29th and 30th
• Night-time temperatures were close to average across most of Victoria except for above average temperatures in parts of East Gippsland
• The Victorian minimum temperature was 0.45 °C warmer than the April average

Floods, strong winds and snow

• A strong cold front which crossed Victoria on the 3rd, brought a sharp decrease in temperatures to the State, and snow to the Victorian Alps; Mount Hotham reported 5 cm of snow
• Heavy rainfall and strong winds on the 5th resulted in flooded roads, fallen trees and damage to buildings; State Emergency Services (SES) responded to more than 400 calls for help
• Strong squally winds followed the passage of a cold front on the 11th; the strongest winds for the month in Victoria were recorded on this day, with gusts of 131 km/h reported at Wilsons Promontory Lighthouse; SES received more than 450 calls, mostly for fallen trees
• More snow arrived to the Alpine area at the end of the month, in a wake of a vigorous cold front which brought low temperatures; Mount Buller reported 10-15 cm of snow on the 30th

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 higher value has gone unreported

* 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