Southern Gippsland - Current Climate

The Gippsland region has mild to warm summers with average maximum temperatures currently around 21 to 25°C. Winters are milder near the coast with average maximum temperatures of 12 to 15°C. Further inland, it is cooler in the foothills and cold in the mountains where there are frequent frosts and some snow.

Rainfall is comparatively high but varies across the region. The southern flanks of the Great Dividing Range, the Strzelecki Ranges and the southwestern and eastern parts of the region receive high rainfalls of 1000 to over 1600 mm a year, which falls as snow on the higher peaks in winter. Annual rainfall decreases to less than 600 mm in the central part of the region due to the rain shadow of Wilsons Promontory and the Strzelecki Ranges. East Coast Lows can deliver heavy downpours across eastern Gippsland and parts of western Gippsland.

Video: Bass Coast - South Gippsland Climate Variability & Change 2020 update (19:48)

The Southern Gippsland Climate is characterised by high variability.  This climate variability means that some periods are cooler and wetter than average, while others are hotter and drier. This variability is due to interactions between oceanic and atmospheric systems that impact our region, including:

  • El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) – which acts across the Pacific Ocean
  • Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) – which acts across the Indian Ocean
  • Southern Annular Mode (SAM) – which acts across the Southern Ocean

These systems can combine to produce our extreme wet (La Niña and negative IOD) or dry (El Niño and positive IOD) years.

More resources for climate in Victoria, with an agriculture focus can be found here:

agriculture.vic.gov.au/agriculture/weather-and-climate  

Including,