Dandenong Ranges - Climate

Climate

The Dandenong Ranges climate is generally cool and wet, with temperature extremes rare due to the proximity of Port Phillip Bay and Bass Strait. Rainfall is fairly uniform through the year, tending to peak between April and October with lower rainfall during the months of January and February. The mean annual rainfall is between 1000 and 1500 mm, increasing with elevation and from west to east . The elevation means that temperatures are typically 2 to 5 degrees C cooler than the lower suburbs of Melbourne to the west, with temperatures typically lowering by 1 degree C for every 150 m of elevation.

As a result of its elevation snow typically falls one or two times a year at higher elevations, mostly between the months of June and October. A rare summer snow occurred on Christmas Day 2006 . The local region has experienced substantial warming in recent decades and heavy snowfalls which were once common have become rare. The last significant snowfall to affect the Dandenongs Ranges was on August 10, 2008 when as much 15 cm fell at the highest elevations.

A Bureau of Meteorology weather station sits at an elevation of 513 m in the Ferny Creek Reserve in the southern part of the Dandenongs Ranges. This weather station replaced one that was previously located on the summit of Dunns Hill.

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