Climate in Melbourne (Australia)

In Melbourne, a city of southern Australia and the capital of the state of Victoria, the climate is subtropical oceanic, with mild winters and pleasantly warm summers.
Although it has a mild climate, Melbourne is subject to temperature swings because it can be reached both by cold air masses from the sea surrounding Antarctica and by hot and dry air masses from the Australian desert. In addition, the city is located enough to the south to be affected by the flow of westerly winds, which bring low pressure systems for several months a year. As a result, the weather is often variable, so much so that it is said that the four seasons can be experienced on the same day.
The wind is quite frequent too, since the westerlies regularly blow for most of the year, while in summer, when the weather is sunny, the sea breeze blows in the afternoon. Not coincidentally, around Melbourne, there are several beaches frequented by surfers.

In the Melbourne area, rainfall is not abundant, however, it is scarcer in the southwestern districts, where it drops below 450 millimeters (17.7 inches) per year, and more abundant in the northern and eastern ones, which are closer to the mountains. In the center of Melbourne it amounts to 600 mm (23.5 in) per year, and it is well distributed, so that there is no real dry season. However, the least rainy season is the winter, at least in quantity. Here is the average precipitation.



Winter, from late May to August, is mild, but also quite windy, in addition, some houses have no heating or are poorly insulated, so the feeling of cold is greater than one might expect. The rains are quite frequent. However, between one disturbance and another, there may also be some sunny days. The average temperature of the coldest month, July, is 10 °C (50 °F).
Very cold days are rare, however, outbreaks of cold air of Antarctic origin can bring the night temperature down to around 0 °C (32 °F), sometimes even in September and October. From June to August, there can sometimes be slight frosts, especially in the suburbs. At Melbourne airport, the temperature dropped to -2.5 °C (27.5 °F) in July 1982 and August 1986.

Spring, from September to November, is initially cool, and then becomes progressively milder. Owing to the clash between air masses, spring is a quite rainy and windy season.

Summer, from December to mid-March, is pleasantly warm, since the maximum temperature is usually about 24/26 °C (75/79 °F). Nights are cool, actually they can sometimes be a bit cold, since lows can drop to 8/10 °C (46/50 °F). The sun often shines, the wind blows frequently, and although it is the season in which the rains are rarest, low pressure systems can still affect this area, bringing rainfall. In addition, some short thunderstorms can break out.
Although the summer is normally not hot, and sometimes can be cool, at times, there can be heatwaves, when the winds blow from the north, ie from the red-hot Australian desert. If the heat wave is not too intense, the temperature remains about 30/35 °C (86/95 °F), otherwise, it can sometimes exceed 40 °C (104 °F). For example, in January 2014, the temperature exceeded 40 °C (104 °F) for 5 days, including 4 days in a row with a maximum of 44 °C (111 °F), but a few days before the heat wave, the minimum temperature was 8 °C (46.5 °F), and a few days later, it dropped again to 10 °C (50 °F).
In February 2009 the temperature reached 46/47 °C (115/117 °F) in the various areas of the city, even though only for one day.
This confirms the fact that these heat waves are short periods in a climate which for the rest is mild.

Autumn, from mid-March to late May, is mild, and becomes progressively cooler and rainier over the weeks. As usual, there is a fair amount of windy days, and it can get a little cold at night, in fact, the temperature can drop below 5 °C (41 °F).

The sea in Melbourne is never warm, actually, it is cold most of the year, and only reaches 18/19 °C (64/66 °F) from January to March. In the closed and sheltered Port Philip Bay, however, the sea is slightly warmer in summer.

Best Time

The best periods to visit Melbourne are spring and autumn, namely the months of April-May and September-October: in this way, you can avoid the hot periods in summer, which, however, hit the city for a few days per year. It must be said that spring and autumn are quite rainy and windy.
If it wasn't for the risk of scorching heat, summer, from December to March, would be preferable.
November can be an interesting month, at the end of spring: it is pleasantly warm, quite sunny, and with a lower risk of heat waves than in summer.
However, even in summer, there can be a bit of cool weather, or even cold, in the evening and at night, so it will be useful to bring a sweatshirt and a light jacket.

The following weather data was recorded at the Laverton weather station.

Melbourne - Climate data