Melbourne in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Melbourne sees average daytime highs around 71°F and overnight lows near 61°F, with 6.0 in of rain over about 21 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the driest season of the year.
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 71°F. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 36% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Melbourne's 2nd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Melbourne's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 71°F
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 61°F
- Rainfall
- 6.0 in
- 21 wet days
- Avg wind
- 10 mph
- Travel score
- 7.1
- 2nd-best season
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Melbourne in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 71°F.
A typical winter day in Melbourne reaches about 71°F and drops to 61°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest January.
How winter really feels in Melbourne
Once humidity and wind are folded in, winter brings about 0 days that feel above 90°F and 0 that feel at or below 32°F.
winter sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.
Melbourne weather by month
How the three winter months (December, January and February) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| Month | High / Low (°F) | Rainfall (inches) | Wet days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 70° / 60° | 2.2 | 7 | 10.4 | 7.0 |
| Feb | 71° / 61° | 1.9 | 6.9 | 11 | 7.1 |
| Mar | 74° / 64° | 2.3 | 6.9 | 11.8 | 7.5 |
| Apr | 77° / 68° | 1.9 | 6.9 | 12.7 | 7.5 |
| May | 81° / 73° | 2.7 | 9.3 | 13.4 | 6.8 |
| Jun | 84° / 76° | 5.2 | 18.4 | 13.7 | 4.5 |
| Jul | 85° / 78° | 4.6 | 19.8 | 13.6 | 3.9 |
| Aug | 85° / 78° | 5.6 | 22.5 | 13 | 3.7 |
| Sep | 84° / 77° | 5.9 | 20 | 12.2 | 4.3 |
| Oct | 80° / 74° | 3.8 | 12.5 | 11.3 | 6.3 |
| Nov | 75° / 68° | 1.9 | 7.6 | 10.6 | 7.4 |
| Dec | 72° / 63° | 1.8 | 6.8 | 10.3 | 7.2 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 36% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Melbourne gets around 6.0 in of rain over 21 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 10 mph across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 10 h 18 min in early December to 11 h 18 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Winter
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 3.5 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Melbourne
None of Melbourne's seasonal hazards peak in winter. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do.
Melbourne sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.
Melbourne's rainy season runs May–October, when most of the year's rain falls.
Is winter a good time to visit Melbourne?
Our two travel scores rate winter for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
winter is one of the better times to visit Melbourne for general sightseeing.
What to pack for Melbourne in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Melbourne sees daytime highs around 71°F and nights near 61°F. Worth packing: light clothes. About 21 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Melbourne in Winter
The nearest coast averages about 71°F across winter — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.
The sea at the nearest coast (about 14 mi away) is warmest in September at about 83°F and coldest in February near 69°F.
The water stays above 68°F all year — warm enough for a swim any month.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°F) | 70 | 69 | 71 | 74 | 77 | 80 | 82 | 82 | 83 | 81 | 76 | 73 |
| Comfort | Refreshing | Refreshing | Refreshing | Refreshing | Warm | Warm | Warm | Tropical | Tropical | Warm | Warm | Refreshing |
| Sea temperature (°F) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 70 | Refreshing |
| Feb | 69 | Refreshing |
| Mar | 71 | Refreshing |
| Apr | 74 | Refreshing |
| May | 77 | Warm |
| Jun | 80 | Warm |
| Jul | 82 | Warm |
| Aug | 82 | Tropical |
| Sep | 83 | Tropical |
| Oct | 81 | Warm |
| Nov | 76 | Warm |
| Dec | 73 | Refreshing |
UV index in Melbourne in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 5 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Melbourne peaks around July 15 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 4 (moderate).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 5 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 5 | 4 |
| Level | Moderate | High | Very high | Very high | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | Very high | High | Moderate |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 5 | Moderate |
| Feb | 7 | High |
| Mar | 9 | Very high |
| Apr | 8 | Very high |
| May | 10 | Very high |
| Jun | 11 | Extreme |
| Jul | 11 | Extreme |
| Aug | 10 | Extreme |
| Sep | 9 | Very high |
| Oct | 7 | Very high |
| Nov | 5 | High |
| Dec | 4 | Moderate |
Air quality in Melbourne in Winter
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where winter falls, not just the annual average.
Air quality in Melbourne is worst in July — around 17 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.1× the cleanest month (December, 6 µg/m³).
Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 6 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 14 | 17 | 15 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 6 |
| Level | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Good | Good | Good | Good |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 6 | Good |
| Feb | 7 | Good |
| Mar | 9 | Good |
| Apr | 10 | Good |
| May | 10 | Good |
| Jun | 14 | Moderate |
| Jul | 17 | Moderate |
| Aug | 15 | Moderate |
| Sep | 10 | Good |
| Oct | 8 | Good |
| Nov | 6 | Good |
| Dec | 6 | Good |
Where is Melbourne?
Melbourne sits at 28.1°N, 80.6°W, 20 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is West Melbourne, 3.1 mi away.
Topography around Melbourne
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Melbourne.
Within 2 miles, the terrain around Melbourne has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 49 ft around an average of 13 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 98 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 246 ft.
The land around Melbourne is covered by water (42%) and artificial surfaces (32%) within 2 miles, water (45%) and trees (25%) within 10 miles, and water (37%), trees (29%) and grassland (27%) within 50 miles.
United States travel facts
- Power plugs
- Type A / B
- 120 V · 60 Hz
- Prices
- ≈ 100% of US
- price level, 2025
- GDP per capita
- $90,027
- 2025
- Happiness
- 6.8 / 10
- World Happiness, 2025
- Safe drinking water
- 98%
- of population, 2024
- Homicide rate
- 5.8
- per 100k, 2023
- Road deaths
- 12.7
- per 100k/yr, 2019
- Income group
- High
- World Bank
- Religion
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 Melbourne (28.0836°, -80.6081°, elevation 20 ft), 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.