Victoria
| Average monthly maximum temperature in Victoria |
||||
| Month | Melbourne | Mildura | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 25.8 °C (78.4 °F) | 32.8 °C (91.0 °F) | ||
| February | 25.8 °C (78.4 °F) | 32.7 °C (90.9 °F) | ||
| March | 23.8 °C (74.8 °F) | 29.3 °C (84.7 °F) | ||
| April | 20.2 °C (68.4 °F) | 24.1 °C (75.4 °F) | ||
| May | 16.6 °C (61.9 °F) | 19.6 °C (67.3 °F) | ||
| June | 14.0 °C (57.2 °F) | 16.0 °C (60.8 °F) | ||
| July | 13.4 °C (56.1 °F) | 15.4 °C (59.7 °F) | ||
| August | 14.9 °C (58.8 °F) | 17.7 °C (63.9 °F) | ||
| September | 17.2 °C (63.0 °F) | 21.1 °C (70.0 °F) | ||
| October | 19.6 °C (67.3 °F) | 25.0 °C (77.0 °F) | ||
| November | 21.8 °C (71.2 °F) | 29.0 °C (84.2 °F) | ||
| December | 24.1 °C (75.4 °F) | 31.7 °C (89.1 °F) | ||
| Source: Bureau of Meteorology | ||||
Victoria has a varied climate despite its small size. It ranges from semi-arid and hot in the north-west, to temperate and cool along the coast. Victoria's main land feature, the Great Dividing Range, produces a cooler, mountain climate in the centre of the state.
Victoria's southernmost position on the Australian mainland means it is cooler and wetter than other mainland states and territories. The coastal plain south of the Great Dividing Range has Victoria's mildest climate. Air from the Southern Ocean helps reduce the heat of summer and the cold of winter. Melbourne and other large cities are located in this temperate region.
The Mallee and upper Wimmera are Victoria's warmest regions with hot winds blowing from nearby deserts. Average temperatures top 30 °C (86 °F) during summer and 15 °C (59 °F) in winter. Victoria's highest maximum temperature of 48.8 °C (119.8 °F) was recorded in Hopetoun on 7 February 2009, during the 2009 south-eastern Australia heat wave. A screen temperature of 50.7 °C (123.3 °F) was recorded on 7 January 1906 in Mildura.
The Victorian Alps in the north-east are the coldest part of Victoria. The Alps are part of the Great Dividing Range mountain system extending east-west through the centre of Victoria. Average temperatures are less than 9 °C (48 °F) in winter and below 0 °C (32 °F) in the highest parts of the ranges. The state's lowest minimum temperature of −11.7 °C (10.9 °F) was recorded at Omeo on 13 June 1965, and again at Falls Creek on 3 July 1970.
Read more about this topic: Climate Of Australia, States and Territories
Famous quotes containing the word victoria:
“The men who are grandfathers should be the fathers. Grandpas get to do it right with their grandchildren.”
—Anonymous Grandparent. As quoted in Women and Their Fathers, by Victoria Secunda, ch. 2 (1992)
“Sometimes my wife complains that she’s overwhelmed with work and just can’t take one of the kids, for example, to a piano lesson. I’ll offer to do it for her, and then she’ll say, “No, I’ll do it.” We have to negotiate how much I trespass into that mother role—it’s not given up easily.”
—Anonymous Father. As quoted in Women and Their Fathers, by Victoria Secunda, ch. 3 (1992)