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Climate for Bulleen, Victoria
Bureau of Meteorology
Climate statistics for Melbourne
January-February
It is high summer in Melbourne in January and February and typical days are
warm and sunny with a freshening sea breeze from the south in the
afternoon. A few days are cool and cloudy, a maximum temperature below
20°C being recorded about once a week. There are always hot days and the
year's highest temperature of about 40°C is usually recorded during these
months. Some of the hot days are accompanied by an unpleasant north wind,
which can be quite strong. Mostly there are only one or two hot days in
a row. Occasionally hot weather continues for three or more days, sometimes
relieved by a sea breeze in the afternoon, at other times with hot and
oppressive nights. The year's warmest night, with a minimum temperature of
about 24°C, is usually recorded during these months. Hot weather usually
ends with an abrupt cool change when the temperature may fall by 10°C in 20
minutes. Some of these changes are dry; others are accompanied by showers
and thunderstorms. Humidity conditions are uncomfortable on some days,
mostly towards the end of a hot spell. It is not uncommon for a fortnight to
pass without rain. On occasions prolonged heavy rain can fall.
March
March is a transitional month between summer and autumn. Hot weather can be
experienced in the first fortnight, when the month's highest temperature of
about 35°C is usually recorded, and it may be accompanied by a strong
northerly wind during the day. The hot weather usually comes to an end
with a sharp wind change to the south-west and a rapid fall in temperature.
Humidity is uncomfortable on about one day only. Many days are mild and
sunny although some days are cool and cloudy. A maximum temperature below
20°C is recorded about twice a week. The afternoon sea breeze is not as
strong as in midsummer. Nights are noticeably cooler than in the
preceding month. Towards the end of March, it is quite common for the
overnight temperature to fall below 10°C on one or two occasions. The month
is fairly dry but prolonged heavy rain falls occasionally.
April
April is a pleasant month, often with spells of fine sunny weather lasting
several days during which the temperature occasionally exceeds 25°C. Every
second year 30°C is exceeded. The nights are quite cool with temperatures
falling below 10°C several times a week. Once in every five years an
overnight minimum temperature below 5°C is recorded. Fog occurs during the
early morning on a few occasions but clears to a sunny day. There are
usually several days of strong wind, mostly from the north, but the average
wind speed of 9 km/hr is the lowest of any month. Prolonged heavy rain
falls occasionally. In April 1960, 172 mm fell within three days. On the
other hand, April 1923 is the only rainless calendar month on record.
May
May is an appreciably cooler month. The last instance until spring of
temperatures in the low 20s usually occurs in the first fortnight. In May
1904 the temperature exceeded 20°C on all but two of the first fifteen days.
The first frosts of the year occur in the outer suburbs late in the month.
In the city itself, the coldest night of the month usually has a minimum
temperature of 4°C - a little too high for frost. Fog occurs on several
mornings but both frost and fog are usually followed by a fine and sunny
day. The late autumn-early winter period is notable for extended periods
of very light winds in Melbourne, although there are a few days of
strong wind, mostly from the north. Cloudy and showery weather may
persist for some days at a time, but prolonged heavy rain is rare.
June
The weather in June is cold, often with spells of fine and calm weather.
There are more days with very light winds in June than in any other
month. It is also the foggiest month. Fog usually forms in the late evening
and clears by mid-morning, but occasionally may persist for most of the day.
Many days are cloudy, June being the cloudiest month of the year. Nights are
cold with occasional frosts, mostly in the suburbs, the lowest temperature
for the month in the city usually being about 2°C. Rain falls on one day in
two and sometimes it is in the form of drizzle in the morning which clears
to a fine day. Heavy rain is rare.
July-August
The windiest time of the year in Melbourne begins in July. There may
be several days in succession of strong, cold north to north-west winds,
often with cloud and some light rain. The weather is frequently cold and
cloudy. The few days of calm sunny weather are accompanied by cold
nights with frost or fog. Fog usually forms late in the evening and clears
by mid-morning, but occasionally persists for the whole day during July.
There are usually a few very cold days with strong southerly winds
and showers, and light snow may fall on the hills within 35 km of the city
centre. On rare occasions, snow even falls in the city. The year's coldest
day, with a maximum temperature of about 9°C, usually occurs during July.
Some rain falls on an average of one day in two, but on some of these days
there may be only a little drizzle or a light shower. The highest number of
wet days in any one month in the city is 27 in August 1939. However, heavy
rain is rare at this time of the year. In late August there are some warmer
days, when the temperature usually reaches 20°C for the first time since
May.
September
September is the first month of spring, which is the most changeable season
of the year. A full range of weather may be experienced within a few days,
from warm, calm and sunny to cold, windy and showery. There are several
cloudy to overcast days. September is another windy month. Most
strong winds are from the north, and these often occur on the warmer
days. There also are occasionally strong cold south-west winds with
showery weather. The temperature usually reaches the mid-20s for the first
time since April. Nights are cool, but frost is fairly rare, the lowest
temperature for the month in the city being about 4°C. Fog is uncommon.
Rainfall is higher in spring than in winter, falling on one day in two.
There are days with only a little drizzle or a light shower but heavy rain
falls occasionally. In 1916, 130 mm fell in 63 hours of continuous rain.
October
The changeable weather of spring continues in October, and there is greater
contrast between the warmer and colder days than in the preceding month. The
maximum temperature exceeds 25°C once a week, but it also fails to reach
15°C once a week. There are several cloudy to overcast days and many days
are windy. Most strong winds are northerly and warm, but there
are occasionally strong cold south-west winds with showery
conditions. Warm windy weather may be followed by a sudden change to colder
conditions with showers. Rain falls on almost one day in two, some of it
heavy.
November
Changeable and often windy weather continues in November. There is
often great contrast in the temperature from day to day. Warm to hot and
sunny days and cold and showery days may follow each other in rapid
succession. There are also some cloudy to overcast days. Nights are usually
mild. Many days are windy. Most strong winds are northerly and
warm, but cold, showery weather with strong southerly winds can occur.
The month's warmest day registers a maximum temperature of about 34°C while
the month's coldest day experiences a maximum temperature of only about
16°C. Some of the most severe storms with gales and rain have
occurred at this time of the year. At the end of November 1934, 140 mm fell
in 34 hours, and there was severe flooding on the Yarra River.
December
The weather is less changeable in December than it is in November, although
it can still be quite varied. Cool and cloudy conditions can prevail for
some days at a time, during which the temperature remains below 20°C. There
are also some hot days, temperatures exceeding 30°C on about six occasions,
but hot weather does not often last for more than two days at a time. There
have, however, been occasions when it persisted for much longer. Hot days
are sometimes accompanied by an unpleasant north wind, which can be quite
strong. On about two days high temperatures are associated with high
humidity and there may be thunderstorms in the late afternoon on these
occasions. Hot weather often comes to an end with an abrupt cool change when
the temperature may fall by about 10°C in 20 minutes. Some of these changes
are accompanied by showers and thunderstorms and followed by strong and
cold south-westerly winds. Nights are usually mild but during hot
weather the temperature overnight may not fall below 20°C. Heavy rain falls
on occasions. In 1954, more than 80 mm fell in five hours.
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