6/12/2019
Victoria in spring 2019: Dry with cool nights and warm days.
Victoria was drier than average overall this spring. Some southern areas had near average rainfall
but elsewhere seasonal totals were lower than normal, especially in parts of the north and east.
Wangaratta Aero had its lowest total spring rainfall on record, while Wodonga had its lowest total
spring rainfall since 1938.
Rainfall was below average in September, well below average in October (Victoria's eight-driest
October on record), and close to average in November.
A series of cold fronts and associated troughs brought widespread moderate rainfall totals across
Victoria between 2 and 8 November, with locally heavy falls mostly in the Alpine and southern parts
of the State
Daytimes were warmer than usual except in the southwest. Maximum temperatures in East
Gippsland were very warm; in the warmest 10% of all springs on record.
Mean maximum temperatures were above average in September, very much above average in
October (Victoria's eighth-warmest October on record), and close to average in November.
21 November was a day of severe weather. The highest possible fire danger rating, a Code Red Day
was declared for the Mallee and Northern Country regions due to the extreme heat, and many
schools and childcare centres in these areas were closed (the last time a Code Red Day was declared
in Victoria was in January 2010). A cold front and associated trough crossed Victoria generating a line
of thunderstorms; lightning strikes and hot, gusty winds resulted in more than 60 fires across the
State. Strong winds smashed debris into powerlines, leaving thousands of Victorians without power,
and caused a dust storm which affected the Mildura region, with visibility at Mildura Airport
occasionally reduced to as low as 500 m.
Temperatures reached into the 40s at many locations (including Greater Melbourne) on 21
November, and many sites had their highest daily spring temperature on record. The warmest
temperature in the State during spring was 43.6 °C recorded at both Kyabram and Swan Hill
Aerodrome on 21 November.
Victoria had its coolest spring nights on average since 2003. Spring minimum temperatures were the
coolest on record for an area between Nhill and Warracknabeal, in the State's west.
Night-time temperatures were below average in September and November, and close to average in
October.