After wild fluctuations, winter 2023-24 was slightly milder then normal

 Meteorological winter is from December 1 to February 29.  Winter 2023-24 was colder and drier than normal.  

The mean temperature at Victoria Gonzales this past winter was 6.5 degrees C, compared with the 30-year average of 5.8 C.  The average daily maximum temperature was 8.5 C (versus normal 7.9 C), while the average daily minimum was 4.5 C (versus the normal 3.7 C).  December was much warmer than average.  January was slightly colder than average, while February was slightly milder than average.

The chart below shows the daily maximum and minimum temperatures at Victoria Gonzales during winter 2023-24, compared with the 30-year averages.  The cold snap in mid-January really stands out, with temperatures far below normal. The temperature dropped as low as -11.5 C on January 12, the coldest temperature recorded in Victoria in 55 years (since December 1968). 

Despite the cold snap, there was also some warm weather.  December 2023 was tied with December 1939 as the warmest on record in Victoria, with a mean temperature of 7.7 C, more than 2 degrees above the 30-year average.  There was also an extraordinary mild period at the end of January, when a Pineapple Express atmospheric river brought warm subtropical air into the region.  The 5-day period from January 28 to February 1 was the mildest 5-day period ever recorded during the winter in Victoria.  The mean temperature was 11.8 C, and highs exceeded 15 C on January 29 & 30.  There were also 3 days with overnight lows above 10 C - by far the earliest that has ever occurred in Victoria.  The previous earliest occurrence was March 12. 

Winter 2023-24 saw very close to normal precipitation.

The chart below shows daily precipitation during winter 2023-24, and compares the cumulative precipitation with the 30-year average.  Precipitation tracked close to average throughout the winter.  December and February were both slightly drier than normal, while January was slightly wetter than normal.  The wettest day of the winter was December 4th, when 19.4 mm fell.  

While precipitation was average, the number of days with measurable precipitation was above average: 51 days during winter 2023-24 vs. the 30-year average of 46.3 days.

Winter 2023-24 saw less snow than normal.  There was 8.5 cm of snow compared with the normal 14 cm.  All of the snow was recorded in January.  There were 3 days with at least 2 cm of snow on the ground - close to the 30-year average of 3.2 days for the winter.