Ballarat Weather

Ballarat is the largest inland city of Victoria, located around 100 km north-west of Melbourne. The city sits in the foothills of the Great Dividing Range around 400 metres above sea level, causing its average temperatures to be around 3 degrees below Melbourne. Unlike most other Australian large cities, Ballarat has a true continental climate with hot summers and cold winters.

The mean daily maximum temperature for January is 25C whilst the mean minimum is 11C. In July, the mean maximum is 10C with average July minimums a chilly 3C. Ballarat’s highest temperature was 44C on the 7th of February 2009 during the Black Saturday bushfires. The city's lowest ever recorded temperatures was -6C on 21 July 1982.

Ballarat’s mean annual rainfall is 69 millimetres, with August being the wettest month (75 mm). In winter, Mount Buninyong at 700 metres usually receives a few snowfalls, and occasionally snow will fall in the city. Widespread frosts are also common in and around the city during the cooler months.

In recent years, Ballarat has experienced a severe decrease in average annual rainfall with falls averaging as low as 400 mm per year since 2001. This is evident by the recent drying out of Lake Wendouree and substantial water restrictions being imposed on the city.

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