Editing Ballarat (section)

==Climate==
Ballarat has a moderate oceanic climate ([[Köppen climate classification]] ''[[Oceanic climate|Cfb]]'')<ref name="Köppen-Geiger">{{cite journal|doi=10.5194/hess-11-1633-2007|title=Updated world map of the Köppen-Geiger climate classification|year=2007|last1=Peel|first1=M. C.|last2=Finlayson|first2=B. L.|last3=McMahon|first3=T. A.|journal=Hydrology and Earth System Sciences|volume=11|issue=5|pages=1633–1644|bibcode=2007HESS...11.1633P|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Linacre|first=Edward|author2=Geerts, Bart|title=Climates and Weather Explained|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mkZa1KLHCAQC&pg=PA379|year=1997|publisher=Routledge|location=London|isbn=978-0-415-12519-2|page=379}}</ref> with four distinct seasons. Its elevation, ranging between {{convert|400|and|630|m|ft|abbr=off}} above sea level, causes its mean monthly temperatures to tend to be on average {{convert|3|to|5|C-change|sigfig=1}} below those of Melbourne, especially in winter.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Forsberg|first=Claudia|date=2023-08-05|title=Does Ballarat deserve its reputation as the coldest city in Victoria? The answer is complex|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-08-06/ballarat-coldest-city-in-victoria/102682414|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240208031429/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-08-06/ballarat-coldest-city-in-victoria/102682414|archive-date=2024-02-08|access-date=2025-02-03|publisher=ABC News|location=Australia|language=en-AU}}</ref> The mean daily maximum temperature for January is {{convert|25.1|°C|0|abbr=on}},<ref name="ausbom">{{cite web|title=Monthly Climate Statistics: Ballarat Aerodrome|publisher=Australian Bureau of Meteorology|date=23 January 2013|url=http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/tables/cw_089002_All.shtml|access-date=23 January 2013}}</ref> while the mean minimum is {{convert|10.9|°C|0|abbr=on}}.<ref name="ausbom" /> In July, the mean maximum is {{convert|10.0|°C|0|abbr=on}}; average July minimum is {{convert|3.2|°C|0|abbr=on}}. Ballarat has 55.2 clear days annually, with the grand majority in summer and early autumn. Ballarat has very rainy winters.<ref name="ausbom" />

The city has a reputation for unpredictable and extreme weather, ranging from snowfall to intense heatwaves.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Gliddon|first=Greg|date=2018-12-31|title=2018 was a year of weather extremes across Ballarat|url=https://www.thecourier.com.au/story/5830924/2018-was-a-year-of-weather-extremes-across-ballarat/|access-date=2021-02-04|website=The Courier|language=en-AU}}</ref> Perhaps the most infamous feature of Ballarat's climate is the chilly winter, often accentuated by driving winds.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2014-11-05|title=You know you're from Ballarat when... you're annoyed at others complaining about the weather|url=https://www.thecourier.com.au/story/2675995/you-know-youre-from-ballarat-when-youre-annoyed-at-others-complaining-about-the-weather/|access-date=2021-02-04|website=The Courier|language=en-AU}}</ref> In 2023, a journalist for [[ABC Ballarat]] wrote that Ballarat "is notorious for its frosty winters and the near year-round puffer jacket uniform of its residents". When measured by mean temperatures, Ballarat is the coldest city in Victoria.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Forsberg|first=Claudia|date=6 August 2023|title=Does Ballarat deserve its reputation as coldest city in Victoria?|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-08-06/ballarat-coldest-city-in-victoria/102682414|access-date=7 August 2023|publisher=ABC News|location=Australia}}</ref>
[[File:Oaks and fog along Lake Wendouree.jpg|thumb|[[Fog]] is common on autumn and winter mornings but usually dissipates by mid-morning.]]
Temperatures can dip below freezing from May to September, however, a low of 0–2&nbsp;°C is more common – widespread frosts and fog are a regular sight. Snowfall typically falls on nearby [[Mount Buninyong]] and [[Mount Warrenheip]] several times a year, but in the urban area only once or twice, particularly during heavy winters. Snow has been known to fall heavily with several centimetres accumulating even in the CBD. Heavy snow seasons occurred in 1900–1902 and 1905–1907 (with record falls in 1906), and moderate snow seasons were recorded during the 1940s and 1980s. Snowfalls in the urban area have occurred in recent years: November 2006 (light),<ref>{{cite news|date=15 November 2006|title=Fires rage and snow's falling|work=The Sydney Morning Herald|url=http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/fires-rage-and-snows-falling/2006/11/15/1163266590381.html}}</ref> July 2007 (heavy),<ref>{{cite news|last=Burgess|first=Matthew|date=8 July 2008|title=Snow falls as cold snap hits state|work=The Age|location=Melbourne, Australia|url=http://www.theage.com.au/national/snow-falls-as-cold-snap-hits-state-20080708-38d2.html}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Ballarat snowfall – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)|url=http://www.abc.net.au/local/photos/2010/10/18/3041397.htm|access-date=18 August 2010|publisher=ABC News|location=Australia}}</ref> June 2008 (light),<ref>{{cite web|date=8 July 2008|title=Snow falls in Ballarat|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/photos/2008/07/08/2297589.htm|access-date=18 August 2010|publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation}}</ref> August 2008 (light),<ref>{{cite web|last=Watt|first=Jarrod|date=11 August 2008|title=Sunday snow in Ballarat – ABC Ballarat|url=http://www.abc.net.au/local/photos/2008/08/11/2331555.htm|access-date=18 August 2010|publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation}}</ref> August 2014 (moderate)<ref>{{cite web|date=1 August 2014|title=Snow falls in Ballarat City Centre – The Courier newspaper|url=http://www.thecourier.com.au/story/2457772/snow-falls-in-ballarat-city-centre/?cs=62|access-date=1 August 2014|publisher=The Courier Ballarat}}</ref> and June 2016 (light),<ref>{{cite web|date=24 June 2016|title=Ballarat snow is a hazy shade of winter – The Courier newspaper|url=http://www.thecourier.com.au/story/3990306/ballarat-snow-is-a-hazy-shade-of-winter/?cs=62|access-date=24 June 2016|publisher=The Courier Ballarat}}</ref> July 2017 (light), June 2018 (moderate), May 2019 (light),<ref>{{Cite web|last=Gliddon|first=Greg|date=2019-05-29|title=Autumn snow falls in Ballarat as part of 'one in 20-year event'|url=https://www.thecourier.com.au/story/6188057/autumn-snow-falls-in-ballarat-as-part-of-one-in-20-year-event/|access-date=2021-02-04|website=The Courier|language=en-AU}}</ref> and August and September 2020 (light and heavy).<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-09-25|title='Massive flakes of snow' fall in Victoria as temperatures drop to record-breaking levels|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-09-25/snow-falls-victoria-spring-cold-weather-record-ballarat/12705416|access-date=2021-02-04|publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation|language=en-AU}}</ref>[[File:Sturt street snow scene 1905.jpg|thumb|Snowy scene in Sturt Gardens in 1905]]The mean annual rainfall is {{convert|693|mm|in|abbr=off}},<ref name="ausbom" /> with August being the wettest month ({{convert|75|mm|in|disp=or|abbr=on}}). There are an average of 198 rain-free days per year.<ref name="ausbom" /> Like much of Australia, Ballarat experiences cyclical drought and heavy rainfall. Flooding of the Yarrowee catchment occurs occasionally. In 1869 a serious flood of the Yarrowee River put most of the lower section of the business district including Bridge and Grenville streets under water and caused the loss of two lives.<ref>The Great Flood of Ballarat. pg 6. The Maitland Mercury & Hunter River General Advertiser. 23 October 1869.</ref> Prolonged drought (an average annual rainfall with falls averaging as low as {{convert|400|mm|0|abbr=on}} per year since 2001) caused Lake Wendouree to dry up completely for the first time in its history between 2006 and 2007. More recently higher rainfall levels have been recorded including {{convert|95.0|mm|2|abbr=on}} in the 24 hours to 9&nbsp;am on 14 January 2011,<ref name="bom.gov.au">{{cite web|url=http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/dwo/201101/html/IDCJDW3005.201101.shtml|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110322054555/http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/dwo/201101/html/IDCJDW3005.201101.shtml|title=Ballarat, Victoria January 2011 Daily Weather Observations|work=Commonwealth of Australia 2011, Bureau of Meteorology|archive-date=22 March 2011}}</ref> ending a four-day period of flooding rains across much of Victoria and Tasmania,<ref>Millar, Paul and Sexton, Reid [http://www.thecourier.com.au/news/national/national/general/victoria-and-tasmania-struggle-with-heavy-rain/2047201.aspx Victoria and Tasmania struggle with heavy rain] The Courier 14 January 2011.</ref><ref>[http://www.thecourier.com.au/news/local/news/general/ballarat-region-floods-as-record-rains-fall/2047512.aspx Ballarat region floods as record rains fall] The Courier 14 January 2011.</ref><ref>Williams, Erin [http://www.thecourier.com.au/news/local/news/general/ballarat-region-floods-as-record-rains-fall/2048186.aspx Ballarat region floods as record rains fall] The Courier 15 January 2011.</ref> and contributing to the wettest January on record, with a total of {{convert|206.0|mm|2|abbr=on}} of rain for the month.<ref name="bom.gov.au" /><ref>Rayner, Meg [http://www.thecourier.com.au/news/local/news/general/wettest-january-ever-in-ballarat/2053606.aspx Wettest January ever in Ballarat] The Courier 20 January 2011.</ref>

The city's mean daily wind run is 470&nbsp;km,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Climate statistics for Australian locations|url=http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/tables/cw_089002_All.shtml|access-date=2021-02-04|publisher=Bureau of Meteorology}}</ref> almost twice that of Melbourne, making it one of the windiest cities in Australia. This in turn causes warm summers to feel substantially cooler and near-freezing winter days to have a far below zero wind chill.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-06-09|title=Ballarat's freezing morning: 'feels like' temperature drops to −6.5|url=https://www.thecourier.com.au/story/6785729/ballarats-freezing-morning-feels-like-temperature-drops-to-65/|access-date=2021-02-04|website=The Courier|language=en-AU}}</ref>

Ballarat's highest maximum recorded temperature was {{convert|44.1|°C|0|abbr=on}} on 7 February 2009 during the [[2009 southeastern Australia heat wave]].<ref name="Burea of Meteorology-Heat Wave">{{cite web|author1=Australian Government, Bureau of Meteorology|title=The exceptional January–February 2009 heatwave in southeastern Australia|url=http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/current/statements/scs17d.pdf|date=February 2009|url-status=bot: unknown|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160913022711/http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/current/statements/scs17d.pdf|archive-date=13 September 2016|access-date=23 September 2016}}</ref> The lowest recorded minimum was {{convert|-6.0|°C|0|abbr=on}} on 21 July 1982.<ref>[http://www.thecourier.com.au/story/3221984/citys-coldest-morning/?cs=62 The Courier], 2015</ref>

{{Weather box|width=auto
|metric first=y
|single line=y 
|collapsed = 
|location = [[Ballarat Aerodrome]], elev. {{convert|435|m|ft|abbr=on}}, (1991–2020 means, extremes 1951–present)
|Jan record high C = 	42.0
|Feb record high C = 	44.1
|Mar record high C = 	37.9
|Apr record high C = 	32.2
|May record high C = 	26.1
|Jun record high C = 	21.6
|Jul record high C = 	19.1
|Aug record high C = 	23.0
|Sep record high C = 	27.9
|Oct record high C = 	33.4
|Nov record high C = 	37.3
|Dec record high C = 	43.5
| year record high C = 	44.1
|Jan record low C = 	0.7
|Feb record low C = 	-1.4
|Mar record low C = 	-0.6
|Apr record low C = 	-4.1
|May record low C = 	-4.5
|Jun record low C = 	-4.6
|Jul record low C = 	-6.0
|Aug record low C = 	-5.0
|Sep record low C = 	-4.6
|Oct record low C = 	-3.6
|Nov record low C = 	-1.0
|Dec record low C = 	-1.0
| year record low C = 	-6.0
|Jan high C = 	26.2
|Feb high C = 	25.7
|Mar high C = 	22.9
|Apr high C = 	18.4
|May high C = 	14.2
|Jun high C = 	11.3
|Jul high C = 	10.5
|Aug high C = 	11.8
|Sep high C = 	14.1
|Oct high C = 	17.3
|Nov high C = 	20.5
|Dec high C = 	23.4
| year high C = 	18.0
|Jan low C = 	11.6
|Feb low C = 	11.6
|Mar low C = 	9.9
|Apr low C = 	7.0
|May low C = 	5.1
|Jun low C = 	3.6
|Jul low C = 	3.0
|Aug low C = 	3.1
|Sep low C = 	4.4
|Oct low C = 	5.9
|Nov low C = 	8.0
|Dec low C = 	9.4
| year low C = 	6.9
|rain colour = green
|Jan rain mm = 	45.1
|Feb rain mm = 	39.5
|Mar rain mm = 	31.5
|Apr rain mm = 	42.4
|May rain mm = 	50.4
|Jun rain mm = 	60.2
|Jul rain mm = 	61.4
|Aug rain mm = 	66.5
|Sep rain mm = 	69.2
|Oct rain mm = 	53.8
|Nov rain mm = 	54.5
|Dec rain mm = 	46.2
|year rain mm = 	620.9
|unit rain days = 0.2 mm
| Jan rain days =  7.7
| Feb rain days = 6.9
| Mar rain days = 	8.5
| Apr rain days = 	11.7
| May rain days = 	15.8
| Jun rain days = 	18.2
| Jul rain days = 	19.9
| Aug rain days = 	18.6
| Sep rain days = 	16.8
| Oct rain days = 	14.5
| Nov rain days = 	11.7
| Dec rain days = 	10.4
| year rain days =	160.7
| humidity colour = green
| time day        =3 P.M.
| Jan afthumidity = 43
| Feb afthumidity = 43
| Mar afthumidity = 46
| Apr afthumidity = 54
| May afthumidity = 67
| Jun afthumidity = 77
| Jul afthumidity = 75
| Aug afthumidity = 71
| Sep afthumidity = 65
| Oct afthumidity = 58
| Nov afthumidity = 55
| Dec afthumidity = 47
| year afthumidity = 58
| Jan dew point C =9.0
| Feb dew point C =9.2
| Mar dew point C =7.8
| Apr dew point C =6.7
| May dew point C =6.9
| Jun dew point C =6.2
| Jul dew point C =5.2
| Aug dew point C =5.1
| Sep dew point C =5.9
| Oct dew point C =6.4
| Nov dew point C =7.8
| Dec dew point C =8.1
| year dew point C = 7.0
|source 1 = Australian Bureau of Meteorology (Dew point at 3 P.M.)<ref name="BoM" >{{cite web|url=http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/tables/cw_089002_All.shtml|title=Climate statistics for Australian locations- BALLARAT AERODROME|date=8 July 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bom.gov.au/jsp/ncc/cdio/cvg/av?p_stn_num=089002&p_prim_element_index=0&p_comp_element_index=0&redraw=null&p_display_type=full_statistics_table&normals_years=1991-2020&tablesizebutt=normal|title=Climate statistics for Australian locations (normals: 1991–2020)|access-date=29 November 2020|publisher=Australian Bureau of Meteorology}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/tables/cw_089002_All.shtml|title=Climate statistics for Australian locations: Ballarat Aerodrome (all data)|publisher=Australian Bureau of Meteorology|access-date=5 January 2022}}</ref>
| date = 5 January 2022
}}