Climate and average weather in Ballarat

In Ballarat, the summers are warm, fairly dry, and mostly clear and the winters are cool and mostly cloudy.

Best: early January to mid April

Over the course of the year, the temperature in Ballarat typically varies from 4°C to 25°C, and is rarely below 1°C or above 33°C. January is the hottest month of the year, while July is the coldest.

Based on the travel score, the best times of year to visit Ballarat for warm-weather activities are from early January to mid April and mid November to late December.

Hottest
Jan
25°
Coldest
Jul
Wettest
Sep
69 mm
Driest
Mar
29 mm
Rain / yr
606 mm
103 wet days
Daylight
9.4–14.6 h
shortest–longest
Elevation
445 m
37.6°S
Clearest
Feb
47% cloud

Ballarat is regional city in Victoria, Australia.

Density
985/km²
people per km²
Founded
1838

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Ballarat weather by month, at a glance

The whole year in one picture — sky, rain, humidity, temperature and travel score. Click any band to jump to its full chart.

Each stripe is one measure across the whole year, stacked so a single day reads top to bottom. The sky band runs overcast grey on top down to clear blue at the base — more blue means sunnier — followed by the rainfall curve, the humidity band, a temperature strip that tints each stretch of the year by how warm its average high is, and the travel-score line at the foot. Scan straight down any date to read that day across every measure at once; the score climbs highest around early January to mid April.

Temperature through the year

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Daily average highs and lows in Ballarat, from 1991–2020 of climate data. The shaded bands show the range most days fall in — 10th to 90th percentile.

The hot season lasts 3.5 months, from December 4 to March 19, with daily high temperatures above 21°C. The hottest month of the year in Ballarat is January, with an average high of 25°C and low of 12°C.

The cool season lasts 3.5 months, from May 24 to September 5, with daily high temperatures below 13°C. The coldest month of the year in Ballarat is July, with an average low of 4°C and high of 10°C.

Days typically run about 10°C warmer than nights, with the widest day–night swing (around 13°C) in January.

10°20°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
Jan2512
Feb2512
Mar2210
Apr188
May146
Jun115
Jul104
Aug114
Sep145
Oct176
Nov208
Dec2310

Average hourly temperature in Ballarat

A compact picture of the whole year, hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled average temperature. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.

Read left to right for the day of the year and top to bottom for the hour of the day; the color is the modeled temperature, cool blues through to hot reds on the same scale as the other charts. A vertical slice is a single day's swing — coolest just before dawn, warmest in the mid-afternoon — while a horizontal slice follows one hour across the seasons. The darker overlay marks night and the lighter one the twilight around sunrise and sunset. Colors run warmest on January afternoons, near 25°C, and coldest before dawn in July, near C.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 AM2 AM4 AM6 AM8 AM10 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM6 PM8 PM10 PM12 AM

Ballarat weather by month

Every month at a glance. Click a month for its detailed page.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan25° / 12°465.814.37.8
Feb25° / 12°40513.47.9
Mar22° / 10°295.112.37.5
Apr18° / 386.511.16.1
May14° / 459104.0
Jun11° / 519.69.52.6
Jul10° / 4910.99.72.2
Aug11° / 6612.510.62.7
Sep14° / 6912.211.73.7
Oct17° / 6210.2135.3
Nov20° / 618.9146.3
Dec23° / 10°527.114.57.2

Chance of rain

How likely it is to rain on a typical day, and how that shifts across the wetter and drier seasons.

Ballarat gets about 606 mm of precipitation a year. On a typical day the chance of rain is some rain, but that rises and falls sharply with the seasons.

The wetter season lasts 6.5 months, from around May 12 to Nov 26, peaking in August at about 42% chance on a given day. The drier stretch runs the rest of the year, bottoming out around Mar 7.

September is the wettest month by volume, with 69 mm over about 12 wet days; March is the driest, with 29 mm.

0%10%20%30%40%50%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecdrierwetterdriermostly drysome rainoften wetvery wetAug 8 · 42%Mar 7 · 14%
Rain on a day (%)Rain days
Jan186
Feb185
Mar175
Apr227
May289
Jun3210
Jul3511
Aug4013
Sep4012
Oct3410
Nov309
Dec237

Monthly rainfall

Over a full year, Ballarat collects about 606 mm of rain across 103 wet days — roughly 50 mm in an average month.

It doesn’t fall evenly. September is the wettest month with 69 mm, while March is the driest at just 29 mm. The three wettest months alone bring about 32% of the year’s total.

0255075100JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec464029384551496669626152
Rainfall (mm)Rain days
Jan466
Feb405
Mar295
Apr387
May459
Jun5110
Jul4911
Aug6613
Sep6912
Oct6210
Nov619
Dec527

Clouds and sunshine

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

How often the daytime sky is clear, partly cloudy or overcast.

In Ballarat, the average share of the sky covered by clouds shows significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The clearer part of the year begins around November 19 and lasts for 5.0 months, ending around April 19. The clearest month is February, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 62% of the time on average.

The cloudier part of the year begins around April 20 and lasts for 7.0 months, ending around November 18. The cloudiest month is June, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 72% of the time.

0%100%10%90%20%80%30%70%40%60%50%50%60%40%70%30%80%20%90%10%100%0%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJan 22 · 64%Aug 8 · 27%clearmostly clearpartly cloudymostly cloudyovercastclearercloudierclearer
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
Jan6139
Feb6238
Mar5347
Apr4159
May3169
Jun2872
Jul2971
Aug3070
Sep3268
Oct3664
Nov3961
Dec4753

Daylight, sunrise and sunset

DaylightNight

Hours of daylight through the year, with sunrise and sunset times.

The gold band is daylight — sunrise runs along its lower edge, sunset along the upper — so it widens toward summer and pinches toward winter, with night the dark area above and below. The longest day, around January 1, brings about 14 h 36 min of light; the shortest, around June 13, only 9 h 24 min — a swing of roughly 5 h 12 min.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
Jan14.36:248:44
Feb13.46:568:22
Mar12.37:257:43
Apr11.17:546:56
May10.08:216:20
Jun9.58:426:07
Jul9.78:416:19
Aug10.68:126:45
Sep11.77:267:12
Oct13.06:407:39
Nov14.06:088:12
Dec14.56:038:38

Sunny days

How many genuinely sunny days each month brings — days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — banded into plain-language zones.

Ballarat averages about 8 sunny days a month — counting the days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — with a clear seasonal swing between 3 and 14 days.

The sunnier stretch runs 5.2 months, from around Nov 14 to Apr 19. The sunniest month is February, with roughly 14 sunny days (mixed).

The greyest month is July, down near 3 sunny days — about 76% fewer than the February peak.

05101520JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecsunniergreyersunniergloomymixedbrightFeb 1714 daysJul 223 days
Sunny daysSky
Jan14Mixed
Feb13Mixed
Mar11Mixed
Apr8Mixed
May6Gloomy
Jun4Gloomy
Jul3Gloomy
Aug4Gloomy
Sep5Gloomy
Oct7Gloomy
Nov8Gloomy
Dec10Mixed

Humidity comfort

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Share of days at each humidity comfort level, based on the dew point — the measure that tracks how muggy it actually feels.

Humidity comfort is graded by the dew point — the temperature at which the air would be fully saturated — because it tracks how muggy it actually feels far better than relative humidity does. A low dew point feels dry and crisp; a high one feels sticky and oppressive no matter the reading on a humidity gauge.

In Ballarat, the air stays dry or comfortable essentially all year. Even in February, the muggiest month, it feels humid or worse only about 6% of the time — humidity is not something you need to plan around here.

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDeccomfortabledry
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
Jan821441
Feb801460
Mar90920
Apr98200
May99100
Jun100000
Jul100000
Aug100000
Sep100000
Oct99100
Nov94510
Dec91720

Wind

Average wind speed through the year, banded into plain-language speed zones so a number reads as 'breezy' or 'calm' without knowing the scale.

This is the average sustained wind speed at the standard 10 metres above open ground — the steady flow a weather station reports, not the sharper gusts that come and go, which can run half again as fast. It's the number that says whether a place is generally breezy or calm.

Wind in Ballarat is steady company: average speeds sit near 14 km/hlight breeze — in every month of the year, with no meaningful windy or calm season.

05101520JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDeccalmlight breezeAug 11 · 15 km/hApr 20 · 12 km/h
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
Jan14light breeze
Feb13light breeze
Mar13light breeze
Apr12light breeze
May13light breeze
Jun14light breeze
Jul14light breeze
Aug15light breeze
Sep15light breeze
Oct14light breeze
Nov14light breeze
Dec14light breeze

Best time to visit Ballarat

TravelBeach/poolTemperatureCloudsPrecipitation

To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Ballarat throughout the year, we compute two travel scores — one for general sightseeing, one for beach and pool weather.

Around early April, Ballarat is still near the tail of its best-weather window — great conditions with the peak-season crowds already thinning.

Inferred from the travel-score curve; month-by-month visitor numbers are a planned addition.

The travel score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 18°C and 28°C. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Ballarat for general outdoor tourist activities is from mid November to mid April, with a peak score in the last week of February.

0246810JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbest timebest timetravel scoretemperaturecloudsprecipitationFeb 26 · 8.0

The travel score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).

Travel score (0–10)Rating
Jan7.8ideal
Feb7.9ideal
Mar7.5good
Apr6.0good
May4.0fair
Jun2.6poor
Jul2.2poor
Aug2.7poor
Sep3.7fair
Oct5.2fair
Nov6.3good
Dec7.2good

The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 24°C and 34°C. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Ballarat for hot-weather activities is from late December to mid March, with a peak score in the third week of January.

024681012JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbest timebeach/pool scoretemperaturecloudsprecipitationJan 18 · 7.1

The beach/pool score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).

What to pack for Ballarat, by month

EssentialRecommendedOptional

Month by month, what's worth putting in the bag — from the temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind. Tap a month for a quick packing note.

For a warm-season trip around January (highs near 25°C), the essentials are light clothes and sun protection. In the cold season around July (highs near 10°C), pack a warm layer and rain gear.

Light clothing
Warm layer
Winter coat
Rain gear
Sun protection
Windbreaker

In January, Ballarat sees daytime highs around 25°C and nights near 12°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes. About 6 days see rain.

UV index (midday) in Ballarat by month

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV index through the year, shaded by the WHO exposure levels — how much sun protection each month calls for.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Ballarat peaks around December 19 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 18 at about 2 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 9 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highModerateModerateVery highExtremeDec 19UV 13Jun 18UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan11Extreme
Feb11Extreme
Mar8Very high
Apr5Moderate
May3Moderate
Jun2Low
Jul2Moderate
Aug3Moderate
Sep5Moderate
Oct8Very high
Nov10Very high
Dec13Extreme

Average hourly UV index in Ballarat

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Modeled clear-sky UV for every hour of every day — when in the day sun protection actually matters.

The whole year hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled clear-sky UV index — the midday peak scaled down as the sun sits lower in the sky. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.

UV falls off far faster than brightness as the sun drops, so even in December the burn window is concentrated in the middle of the day: about 9 hours a day reach index 3 (protection recommended), and 7 hours reach 6 or more. Mornings and late afternoons stay comparatively gentle year round.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 AM2 AM4 AM6 AM8 AM10 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM6 PM8 PM10 PM12 AM
UV ≥ 3 (h/day)UV ≥ 6 (h/day)
Jan96.5
Feb86
Mar74
Apr4.50
May00
Jun00
Jul00
Aug2.50
Sep50
Oct74
Nov8.55.5
Dec97
Almanac & agriculture

Growing season

Chance of a frost-free day

Ballarat is mild enough that a frost-free day stays more likely than not even in midwinter.

0%25%50%75%100%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Frost-free chance (%)Frost nights
Jan1000
Feb1000
Mar1000
Apr1000
May990
Jun960
Jul950
Aug940
Sep960
Oct970
Nov990
Dec1000

Growing degree days

Degree days (base 10°C)

Growing degree days tally heat above 10°C: each day adds however many degrees its average temperature runs over that threshold, and cold days add nothing. Ballarat banks about 1,118 degree days a year, and the running total — which growers use to time plantings and predict maturity — climbs fastest around January.

02505007501,000JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Growing degree days (°C·days)
Jan257
Feb229
Mar190
Apr83
May7
Jun0
Jul0
Aug0
Sep0
Oct43
Nov118
Dec190

Solar energy

Average daily shortwave solar energy reaching the ground, banded into brightness zones so the number means something at a glance.

Solar energy is how much sunlight actually reaches the ground each day, measured in kilowatt-hours per square metre (kWh/m²) — the combined effect of how long the sun is up, how high it climbs, and how much cloud gets in the way. It's the raw fuel a solar panel has to work with: for scale, 1 kWh/m² a day is dim and wintry, while 7+ is desert-bright.

Ballarat receives about 4.5 kWh/m² a day of solar energy on average — bright — with a clear seasonal swing between 1.8 and 7.6 kWh/m².

The brighter stretch of the year lasts 5.8 months, from around Sep 28 to Mar 24. The brightest month is January, averaging about 7.3 kWh/m² (intense).

The dimmest month is June, down near 1.8 kWh/m² — roughly 75% less than the January peak.

0123456789JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbrighterdimmerbrighterdimmoderatebrightintenseJan 17.6 kWhJun 211.8 kWh
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
Jan7.4Intense
Feb6.4Intense
Mar5.0Bright
Apr3.4Moderate
May2.3Moderate
Jun1.8Dim
Jul1.9Dim
Aug2.7Moderate
Sep4.0Moderate
Oct5.3Bright
Nov6.4Intense
Dec7.1Intense

Where is Ballarat?

Ballarat sits at 37.6°S, 143.8°E, 445 m above sea level, in Australia. The nearest listed city is Bacchus Marsh, 53 km away.

Topography around Ballarat

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Ballarat.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Ballarat has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 116 m around an average of 441 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 411 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,037 m.

The land around Ballarat is covered by artificial surfaces (57%) and trees (24%) within 3 km, grassland (54%) and trees (30%) within 16 km, and grassland (53%), cropland (23%) and trees (21%) within 80 km.

3 km
116 m
16 km
411 m
80 km
1,037 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
Nearby: Bacchus Marsh 53 km · Lara 71 km · Corio 74 km · Wyndham Vale 77 km · Sunbury 77 km · Tarneit 77 km · Highton 78 km · Geelong 79 km

Australia travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type I
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 90% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$65,130
2025
Happiness
6.9 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Homicide rate
0.9
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
4.9
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
none 38%Roman Catholic 20%Protestant 18%other Christian 4%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Ballarat (-37.5662°, 143.8496°, elevation 445 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).