Greater Melbourne in January 2020: above average rainfall

Rainfall in January 2020 was above average across Greater Melbourne, largely due to the high daily totals to 9am on the 16th, 21st and 23rd. Daytime temperatures were warmer than average.

Above average rainfall

  • January rainfall was above average at all sites in the Melbourne metropolitan area
  • Thunderstorms associated with a low pressure troughs produced locally heavy falls across Melbourne on the 15th
  • A deepening low pressure trough with the embedded thunderstorms brought widespread, locally intense, rainfall on the 20th, while a cold front and the associated trough resulted in further moderate to heavy falls on the 22nd
  • In Greater Melbourne, the highest daily rainfall to 9am on the 21st was 73.2 mm at Ferny Creek, followed by 69.2 mm at Kinglake West; most suburbs recorded between 20 mm and 40 mm, though outer western suburbs only received around 5 mm
  • Melbourne (Olympic Park) received 44.0 mm to 9am on the 21st; it was the wettest day for Melbourne City since September 2011
  • Cerberus, Kinglake West and Cape Schanck had their highest January daily rainfall on record
  • Some sites had their highest total January rainfall on record or highest total January rainfall since 1998
  • Melbourne (Olympic Park) recorded 115.2 mm during the month; this is more than double the long-term January average of 46.8 mm for Melbourne City
  • The wettest place in Greater Melbourne was Kinglake West, where 181.2 mm was recorded during the month

Very warm end to the month

  • Mean maximum temperatures were above average at most sites in Greater Melbourne
  • There were several warm days, notably on the 3rd, 15th, 30th, and 31st
  • The warmest day in January was on the 31st, when most sites in Greater Melbourne reported temperatures above 40 °C
  • The warmest temperature for the month was 44.1 °C, recorded at Laverton RAAF on the 31st
  • A cold front that crossed Melbourne on the 4th brought cool daytime temperatures and Wallan (Kilmore Gap), Coldstream, and Viewbank had their coldest January day (lowest maximum temperature) on record on the 5th
  • Night-time temperatures during the month were generally close to average, but there were some both cool and warm nights
  • The coolest night in Greater Melbourne was on the 1st when 3.8 °C was recorded at Coldstream, while the warmest night saw 26.7 °C at Ferny Creek on the 31st

Melbourne (Olympic Park)

  • Total rainfall for Melbourne (Olympic Park) was 115.2 mm
  • The mean daily maximum temperature for Melbourne (Olympic Park) was 26.9 °C. The warmest day was 42.9 °C on the 31st, and the coolest day was on the 5th when the temperature reached 16.7 °C
  • The mean daily minimum temperature for Melbourne (Olympic Park) was 15.1 °C. The coldest morning was 11.7 °C on the 24th, and the warmest morning was on the 31st when the minimum temperature was 21.5 °C

Smoke, dust and thunderstorms

  • Smoke haze from bushfires in East Gippsland extended across Melbourne on the 13th, becoming thick smoke on the 14th and 15th; a number of flights have been cancelled at Melbourne Tullamarine Airport on the 15th
  • A severe thunderstorms in the afternoon on the 15th brought heavy rainfall, flash flooding and damaging winds to parts of Melbourne
  • Severe thunderstorms developed again on the 19th bringing heavy rainfall and giant hail (up to 5.5 cm in diameter in Glen Iris, in the southeast of Grater Melbourne)
  • Strong northerly winds brought dust from northwest Victoria to the southern parts of the State and Melbourne; it came down with rain which coated surfaces with a layer of dust and coloured the Yarra river brown
  • Severe thunderstorms swept through Melbourne in the early evening on the 31st, downing threes, damaging homes and powerlines, and causing traffic hazards

Further information

Media
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Extremes in January 2020
Hottest day 44.1 °C at Laverton RAAF on the 31st
Warmest days on average 28.5 °C at Viewbank
Coolest days on average 23.8 °C at Ferny Creek
Coldest day 10.9 °C at Wallan (Kilmore Gap) on the 5th
Coldest night 3.8 °C at Coldstream on the 1st
Coolest nights on average 11.1 °C at Coldstream
Warmest nights on average 15.1 °C at Melbourne (Olympic Park)
Warmest night 26.7 °C at Ferny Creek on the 31st
Warmest on average overall 21.0 °C at Essendon Airport
21.0 °C at Melbourne (Olympic Park)
21.0 °C at Viewbank
Coolest on average overall 18.1 °C at Ferny Creek
Wettest overall 181.2 mm at Kinglake West
Wettest day 73.2 mm at Ferny Creek on the 21st
Strongest wind gust 146 km/h at Fawkner Beacon on the 31st

Record highest January daily rainfall
New record
(mm)
Old
record
Years of
record
Cerberus 39.0 on the 23rd 35.2 on the 1st in 1988 30
Kinglake West 69.2 on the 21st 68.8 on the 14th in 2011 28
Cape Schanck 43.4 on the 23rd 37.8 on the 13th in 1998 20



Record highest January total rainfall
New record
(mm)
Old
record
Years of
record
Average for
January
Melbourne Botanical Gardens 129.4 114.1 in 1970 51 44.6
Melbourne Airport 101.8 101.6 in 1991 50 41.2
Kinglake West 181.2 179.0 in 2011 28 67.5
Coldstream 118.0 75.2 in 2011 26 45.6
Viewbank 109.6 108.8 in 2011 21 43.0

Highest January total rainfall for at least 20 years
Observed
(mm)
Most recent
higher
Average for
January
Scoresby Research Institute 138.4 192.5 in 1963* 53.2
Essendon Airport 115.2 146.1 in 1970* 43.2
Yan Yean 86.8 103.8 in 1988 44.3
Springvale (Sandown) 102.8 104.6 in 1996 48.7
Oakleigh (Metropolitan Golf Club) 101.5 143.6 in 1996* 48.9
Moorabbin Airport 106.8 122.0 in 1998 44.9

* note: there are gaps in the historical record at this site, so it is possible a higher value has gone unreported




Record lowest January daily maximum temperature
New record
(°C)
Old
record
Years of
record
Average for
January
Wallan (Kilmore Gap) 10.9 on the 5th 11.2 on the 2nd in 1996 27 25.2
Coldstream 15.1 on the 5th 16.0 on the 29th in 2016 26 28.1
Viewbank 15.7 on the 5th 17.3 on the 2nd in 2017 21 28.1



Summary statistics for January 2020
Maximum temperatures
(°C)
Minimum temperatures
(°C)
Rainfall
(millimetres)
Mean for
January
2020
Diff
from
average
Highest for
January
2020
Mean for
January
2020
Diff
from
average
Lowest for
January
2020
Total for
January
2020
Average
for
January
Rank of
January
2020
Fraction of
January
average
Cerberus 25.5 +0.9 42.2 31st 13.3 -0.6 7.0 1st 87.0 38.8 v high 224%
Coldstream 28.1 0.0 42.5 31st 11.1 -0.9 3.8 1st 118.0 45.6 highest 259%
Essendon Airport 27.8 +1.2 43.4 31st 14.2 +0.5 11.0 1st 115.2 43.2 v high 267%
Ferny Creek 23.8   38.3 31st 12.5   7.1 24th 180.8
Laverton RAAF 26.6 +0.8 44.1 31st 14.1 +0.2 9.5 1st 87.0 40.1 v high 217%
Melbourne (Olympic Park) 26.9   42.9 31st 15.1   11.7 24th 115.2
Melbourne Airport 27.8 +1.2 43.6 31st 13.7 -0.2 9.3 1st 101.8 41.2 highest 247%
Moorabbin Airport 26.9 +1.0 43.7 31st 14.0 -0.3 10.0 1st 106.8 44.9 v high 238%
Scoresby Research Institute 27.4 +1.0 42.2 31st 13.0 -0.4 7.8 1st 138.4 53.2 v high 260%
Viewbank 28.5 +0.4 43.9 31st 13.5 -1.2 8.4 1st 109.6 43.0 highest 255%
Wallan (Kilmore Gap) 25.9 +0.7 40.5 31st 12.2 -0.2 8.2 17th 84.0 47.6 high 176%

Daily maximum temperatures for January 2020
12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031
Cerberus23.022.626.226.416.919.623.630.330.118.519.830.231.136.419.820.526.529.119.721.031.621.823.025.423.021.022.824.938.842.2
Coldstream26.729.236.429.215.117.721.627.033.833.521.223.131.734.437.318.825.630.030.725.225.431.621.824.228.226.227.426.931.238.542.5
Cranbourne Botanic Gardens27.016.419.124.930.419.220.336.020.121.525.929.021.424.830.023.1
Essendon Airport26.826.334.529.316.117.520.726.433.134.019.321.233.333.338.720.225.930.028.922.423.732.723.524.927.724.825.125.631.439.643.4
Ferny Creek22.724.132.525.111.113.815.822.830.029.216.118.327.830.133.315.420.524.626.822.120.526.615.719.924.122.123.122.127.734.438.3
Laverton RAAF23.124.530.529.016.217.820.224.930.934.119.820.433.731.338.519.623.127.327.621.522.132.622.323.726.523.722.923.727.940.344.1
Melbourne (Olympic Park)24.925.036.626.816.718.020.123.831.932.919.319.932.233.836.819.624.829.425.521.823.531.722.624.127.423.623.125.431.539.442.9
Melbourne Airport26.326.436.930.215.717.319.925.933.734.119.521.632.733.938.319.625.328.829.123.824.232.523.624.128.025.225.126.031.639.343.6
Moorabbin Airport24.724.835.025.717.417.820.327.331.432.719.422.032.933.338.620.824.328.125.923.123.932.122.223.226.422.922.523.929.039.643.7
Scoresby Research Institute26.226.836.527.715.816.820.327.233.032.919.322.531.934.036.620.924.227.929.824.824.031.121.223.527.424.725.525.431.238.642.2
Viewbank27.127.437.328.915.717.320.427.734.233.720.823.133.135.138.621.026.231.231.823.825.531.722.924.728.825.726.726.832.339.543.9
Wallan (Kilmore Gap)25.426.334.228.310.913.618.824.431.631.717.419.829.132.534.316.322.829.230.321.124.129.418.521.827.325.725.125.130.236.340.5
Values are the maximum temperature, usually in the 24 hours from 9 am on the day indicated,
and typically occurred in the afternoon of that day.
Temperatures coloured according to their difference
from the long-term average for the period
-10.0 -9.0 -8.0 -7.0 -6.0 -5.0 -4.0 -3.0 -2.0 -1.0 0.0 +1.0 +2.0 +3.0 +4.0 +5.0 +6.0 +7.0 +8.0 +9.0 +10.0 °C Grey outline marks highest
and lowest for the period

Daily minimum temperatures for January 2020
12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031
Cerberus7.08.110.915.511.811.712.816.917.812.912.913.213.516.516.414.116.016.518.114.29.912.413.511.212.19.59.411.913.918.7
Coldstream3.85.46.412.612.411.211.816.211.316.511.410.88.312.515.215.310.510.113.114.613.710.712.95.98.810.79.98.810.18.413.7
Cranbourne Botanic Gardens11.611.112.116.316.612.510.59.417.715.011.213.011.917.313.710.112.39.9
Essendon Airport11.012.212.718.812.511.112.116.417.419.612.112.711.416.718.615.013.212.316.918.313.712.812.311.212.514.811.412.815.413.519.4
Ferny Creek8.610.911.417.38.57.69.213.414.118.69.39.010.016.822.311.88.811.016.014.810.311.110.07.111.113.010.610.311.016.326.7
Laverton RAAF9.511.311.817.012.312.212.716.418.220.413.112.610.916.318.416.113.311.815.818.713.712.912.210.412.014.011.511.615.613.919.2
Melbourne (Olympic Park)11.812.813.718.612.711.912.616.817.920.113.514.212.716.719.515.714.413.917.519.114.814.112.911.713.015.812.813.615.216.421.5
Melbourne Airport9.310.111.418.312.011.511.816.016.319.211.411.711.116.218.814.911.611.816.516.713.313.112.410.212.413.010.811.616.014.920.3
Moorabbin Airport10.011.812.215.512.711.812.615.917.519.213.512.911.116.817.813.513.715.218.912.813.111.913.314.411.512.213.513.518.0
Scoresby Research Institute7.89.29.417.012.111.112.016.016.220.111.312.310.417.117.414.811.311.315.216.414.012.112.68.411.713.69.610.311.411.320.4
Viewbank8.410.111.417.012.411.512.116.215.219.412.313.310.815.419.314.812.012.316.617.513.812.712.78.511.213.811.412.012.514.019.1
Wallan (Kilmore Gap)9.410.711.115.29.08.39.313.013.815.29.59.110.216.019.811.88.210.814.414.79.811.510.89.212.513.110.810.712.015.124.7
Values are the minimum temperature, usually in the 24 hours to 9 am on the day indicated,
and typically occurred that morning.
Temperatures coloured according to their difference
from the long-term average for the period
-10.0 -9.0 -8.0 -7.0 -6.0 -5.0 -4.0 -3.0 -2.0 -1.0 0.0 +1.0 +2.0 +3.0 +4.0 +5.0 +6.0 +7.0 +8.0 +9.0 +10.0 °C Grey outline marks highest
and lowest for the period

Daily rainfall for January 2020
12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031
Bonbeach (Carrum) - - - - 5.2 6.0 - - - 10.0 - - - - - 20.0 - 5.5 3.5 - 28.5 - - - - - - - -
Bullengarook East - - - - 2.2 9.4 1.8 - - - 6.6 0.2 - - - 12.2 0.4 - - - 14.0 - 24.6 0.8 - - - - - - -
Bundoora (Latrobe University)
1.6 10.6 18.0 34.6 21.4 18.4







Burnside - - - - 4.0 10.0 1.0 - - - 14.0 0.8 - - - 30.0 0.8 - - 1.2 6.0 - 27.0 - - - - - - - -
Cape Schanck - - - - 2.0 1.0 1.0 - - - 17.0 - - - - - - - - - 5.2 - 43.4 5.4 - - - - - - -
Cerberus - - - - 1.2 5.0 0.8 - - - 15.0 - - - - 4.2 - - - 1.2 16.6 0.2 39.0 3.6 - - - - - 0.2 -
Cheltenham Kingston Centre - - - - 1.5 5.8 0.2 - - 16.0 - - - - 15.0 0.4 - - 6.8 9.0 - 18.2 - 2.3 - - - - - -
Coldstream - - - - 1.0 13.2 2.2 - - - 19.0 - - - - 23.8 0.2 - - 9.8 25.8 - 20.6 2.4 - - - - - - -
Cranbourne Botanic Gardens



2.4 10.2 0.8 - - - 0.2 - - - 13.0 13.0 - - 1.6 6.4 - 34.2 2.8





Essendon Airport - - - - 1.8 10.4 1.4 - - - 16.8 - - - - 26.2 0.4 - - 1.6 34.4 - 21.8 0.4 - - - - - - -
Ferny Creek 0.2 - - - 2.0 15.2 1.8 0.4 - - 27.0 - - - - 26.0 0.2 - - 6.0 73.2 0.2 24.8 3.8 - - - - - - -
Greenvale Reservoir - -


12.0 0.4


17.6



31.4

- -

17.8 1.0 -
- - -

Kinglake West 0.6 - - - 1.4 12.6 2.0 - - - 15.4 0.4 - - - 35.0 0.6 - - 24.4 69.2 - 17.0 2.6 - - - - - - -
Kinglake West (Wallaby Creek) - -


13.2 1.8


18.4



39.0

0.2 16.8

15.6 4.4 0.2
- - -

Lancefield - - - - 0.6 6.0 1.4 - - - 9.6 - - - - 23.8 - - - 26.4 0.8 - 7.4 4.6 - - - - - - -
Laverton RAAF - - - - 1.6 7.8 0.8 - 0.2 - 15.4 0.4 - - - 21.0 0.2 - - 0.6 6.8 - 31.2 1.0 - - - - - - -
Main Ridge - - - - 4.4 - - 3.0 - 21.6 - - - - - 1.6 - - - 2.4 - 5.4 40.0 - - - - - - - -
Melbourne (Olympic Park) - - - - 2.2 8.2 1.2 - - - 15.6 - - - - 19.6 - - - 0.4 44.0 - 22.8 1.2 - - - - - - -
Melbourne Airport - - - - 1.4 9.2 0.8 - - - 14.2 0.2 - - - 31.2 0.8 - - 0.2 25.2 - 18.0 0.6 - - - - - - -
Melbourne Botanical Gardens - - - - 6.0 7.4 1.4 - - - 18.0 - - - - 21.8 - - - 1.0 47.6 - 24.8 1.4






Mitcham - -


12.8 0.8


23.8



15.4

- 6.2

20.2 2.4 -
- - -

Moorabbin Airport - - - - 2.0 12.2 0.6 - - - 20.2 - - - - 24.6 - - - 3.0 11.8 - 29.4 3.0 - - - - - - -
Mount Waverley (Riversdale Golf Club) 0.5 - - - - 11.5 2.5 - - - 18.6 1.0 - - - 13.5 1.0 - - 10.0 19.0 - 18.5







Newham (Cobaw) - - - 7.0 - - - - 5.6 - - - - 27.0 - - - 1.8 1.6 - 10.6 3.6 - - - - - - -
Oakleigh (Metropolitan Golf Club) - - - 6.4 8.4 1.4 - - - 17.8 - - - - 14.2 - 8.5 18.4 - 26.4 - - - - - - - -
Preston Reservoir - -


11.4 0.6


19.0



26.6

- 1.4

18.4 1.0 -
- - -

Romsey - - - - 0.6 10.2 1.0 0.2 - - 10.2 0.6 - - - 17.2 - - - 3.8 6.6 - 11.2 4.4 - - - - - - -
Rosebud (Country Club) - - - - 4.9 1.2 - - - 19.4 - - 3.6 - - - - - - 0.8 - - - - - - - - - -
Scoresby Research Institute - - - - 1.8 13.6 1.2 - - - 24.6 - - - - 27.8 - - - 2.8 37.2 - 24.4 5.0 - - - - - - -
Springvale (Sandown) - - - - 5.6 9.2 - - - - 21.4 - - - - 18.6 - - 1.4 15.4 0.8 4.6 25.8 - - - - - - - -
Springvale Necropolis - - - 17.0 - - - - 21.0 - - 21.0 - 1.5 16.0 - 26.5 4.0 - - - - - - -
Toorourrong Reservoir (Toorourrong) - -


13.8 1.6


21.8



33.0

- 10.8

14.4 1.2 -
- - -

Upper Plenty - - - - 0.6 13.2 1.2 - - - 17.2 - - - - 27.0 0.2 - - 8.4 19.4 - 13.4 1.0 - - - - - - -
Viewbank - - - - 1.4 11.2 0.6 - - - 23.0 0.2 - - - 20.4 0.2 - - 15.6 17.0 - 19.6 0.4 - - - - - - -
Wallan - - - - 5.4 12.0 0.8 - - - 15.6 1.6 - - - 16.8 1.0 - - 1.4 - - 11.6 3.0 - - - - - - -
Wallan (Kilmore Gap) - - - - 0.4 11.2 1.0 - - - 16.2 1.2 - - - 22.6 0.6 - - 1.4 17.0 - 10.4 2.0 - - - - - - -
Warburton (O'Shannassy Reservoir (Quarte - -


14.0 1.8







19.2

- 14.4

41.0 5.2 -
- - -

Willowmavin (Avalon Station) - - - - - 11.6 0.6 0.2 - - 12.0 0.2 - - - 18.8 - - - 12.2 2.2 - 9.0 1.8 0.2 - - - - - -
Woodend - - - - 2.0 9.0 1.6 - - - 6.2 0.4 - - - 28.2 0.1 - - 3.6 3.1 - 13.8 5.6 - - - - - - -
Yan Yean - -


14.2 1.4


18.8



30.2

- 3.2

16.0 3.0 -
- - -

Yarra River @ Warrandyte




0.8












0.8 -









Most values are the precipitation in the 24 hours to 9 am on the day indicated. Days marked with → are part of a longer accumulation, which is shown on the final day.
Values over 100 mm have been rounded to the nearest whole millimetre.
Days marked with - have a rainfall report of zero; days left blank have no rainfall report (which often indicates no rain fell).
Rainfalls coloured
according to the amount
0 1.0 5.0 10.0 15.0 25.0 50.0 100 150 200 300 400 600 millimetres

Notes

The Monthly climate summary, generally published on the first working day of each month, lists the main features of the weather in Greater Melbourne using the most timely and accurate information available on the date of publication; it will generally not be updated. More extensive discussion of significant weather events, along with later information and data that has had greater opportunity for quality control, will be presented in the Monthly Weather Review.

This summary includes data from observing sites in or near the Greater Melbourne “Greater Capital City Statistical Area” (GCCSA). The Australian Bureau of Statistics designed the GCCSAs to “include the population within the urban area of the city, as well as people who regularly socialise, shop or work within the city, and live in small towns and rural areas surrounding the city. It is important to note that GCCSAs do not define the built up edge of the city. They provide a stable definition for these cities and are designed for the output of a range of social and economic survey data.

This statement has been prepared based on information available at 10 am on Monday 3 February 2020. Some checks have been made on the data, but it is possible that results will change as new information becomes available.

In some situations, some or all of the rainfall is in the form of hail or snow. In these cases the totals given are for the water equivalent: the depth of liquid water that results from melting any frozen precipitation. There can be significant 'undercatch' of snow in strong winds, meaning the true precipitation can be higher than that reported.

Averages for individual sites are long-term means based on observations from all available years of record, which vary widely from site to site. They are not shown for sites with less than 10 years of record, as they cannot then be calculated reliably.
The median is sometimes more representative than the mean of long-term average rain.

The Rank indicates how rainfall this time compares with the climate record for the site, based on the decile ranking (very low rainfall is in decile 1, low in decile 2 or 3, average in decile 4 to 7, high in decile 8 or 9 and very high is in decile 10).
The Fraction of average shows how much rain has fallen this time as a percentage of the long-term mean.

Where temperature area averages are mentioned, they are derived from the ACORN-SAT dataset.

Further information

Media
(03) 9669 4057
Enquiries

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