Friday, 1 June 2018 - Monthly Climate Summary for Victoria - Product code IDCKGC16R0

Victoria in May 2018: mostly warm, close to average rainfal

Daytime and night-time temperatures in May were warmer than average in most parts of Victoria. Rainfall was generally close to average, with smaller areas of below average rainfall in the north of the State, while several areas in the south and east had above average May rainfall.

Close to average rainfall

• Several areas in the north of Victoria observed drier than average conditions in May; elsewhere rainfall was close to average, with parts of West Coast, Western Plains, West and North Central and East Gippsland Districts recording above average rainfall
• Averaged across the State rainfall was 10.1% below the long-term May mean of 64.8 mm
• Cold fronts and associated troughs brought widespread rainfall to Victoria on the 4th, with daily totals generally between 10 and 30 mm
• A complex low pressure system brought more widespread rainfall to the State between the 10th and 12th, with some daily totals exceeding 40 mm; Mortlake Racecourse and Sheoaks had their highest May daily rainfall on record on the 11th
• The highest daily rainfall for the State, 95 mm, was recorded at Cann River (East Gippsland) on the 12th; the wettest place during the month was Toolangi (Mount St Leonard), with 169.6 mm

A warm month overall

• Days were warmer than average across the State, except in the west where daytime temperatures were close to average; in contrast, nights were warmer in central and southern parts of Victoria, with close to average night-time temperatures in the north
• Victoria's mean daytime and night time temperatures were 0.61 °C and 0.46 °C above the average respectively
• The first few days of the month were unseasonably warm with Point Hicks (East Gippsland) reaching 29.6 °C on the 3rd, the highest temperature in Victoria during May; many sites had their highest May temperature on record on the 3rd
• Temperatures across Victoria plummeted on the 10th, as Antarctic air swept across the State following the passage of a complex low pressure system
• Victoria's lowest maximum and minimum temperatures for the month were recorded during this event, with Mount Hotham only reaching −2.6 °C on the 10th, and falling to −6.0 °C on the morning of the 11th
• Warm period between the 26th and 28th resulted when a high pressure system situated in the Tasman Sea directed a warm northerly airflow across Victoria; some sites (i.e. Longerenong, Ouyen, Kyabram and Benalla Airport) set late season maximum temperature records on the 27th and 28th

Strong winds and snow

• The strongest winds during autumn, associated with the passage of a cold front, were recorded on the 11th, with gusts of 143 km/h reported at Mount Hotham
• Snow fell across the Alpine region on the 11th and 12th, as Antarctic air swept across Victoria following the passage of a complex low pressure system

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

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top