Melbourne’s weather is notorious for its unpredictability and their is a lot of noise in terms of how unpleasant it can get. When I first came to this city and began to familiarise myself with it, what made me a little perplexed was the way the weather changed every now and then. One moment you are running for cover as the rain comes stamping down on you much to your chagrin, a little while later the clouds have cleared and its sunny like it never rained.

Any Melburnian will be too familiar with checking the Weather app before starting their day. There is nothing you can plan for the weekend without checking for how the weather is going to treat you on that particular day.

Australia lying in the Southern hemisphere have their seasons in reverse to the countries in the Northern Hemisphere such as the United States of America, Europe and Asia. So when the rest of the world is enjoying a cold December, Australia is witnessing the advent of summer in that month.

In Australia Summer officially starts in December and ends around mid April. This is followed by Spring , Winter and lastly Autumn. In general the Melbourne weather is pleasant and has a longer span of cooler months. One might argue that its unpredictability of weather is not very favourable , however the bright side to it is that you can never really face extremes in the weather for too long as any strong persistent weather is replaced by another weather opposite to it. The claim being that one can never really abhor the Melbourne weather in its entirety as their is something for everyone. If you do not like the weather , wait a while and it might just change to your liking. Melbourne has also featured as the most liveable city in the world according to the Economist Intelligence Unit’s Liveability’s Index  which ranks 140 cities across the world on issues like stability, culture and environment. It scores highly on medical , education and infrastructure. The weather too is not detrimental to the economic growth of the city and is often one of the most preferred destination for those looking to migrate to Australia.

The reason for the Unpredictability

Melbourne has a temperate oceanic climate. The contrasts in its weather is most notable in times of Spring and Summer when cold fronts can be formed which is the edge of cooler mass of air, drifting under the warmer mass of air and replacing it leading to creation of low pressure. Temperature changes can occur across the boundary, and can go up to 30’C , in case of presence of moisture it can also cause rain, and in cases of instability along the boundary it can also cause thunderstorms.

For those living in Melbourne their are days when one can witness rising temperatures of 40’C and on the very next day their is a fall in the temperature as low as 18’C

How one can deal with the Melbourne Weather

Initially it might take some getting used to the weather here as it is so uncertain. However once you get used to it their is nothing more amusing and unique to the extent that you might even start to appreciate it . Some people would argue that their is no such thing as a bad weather their is only a bad wardrobe. When one is prepared for the weather, in terms of clothes and equipment, no conflicting weather conditions can deter you. It is always wise to have the needful by your side. I always have a bag on me which I can just tuck somewhere at the back of the car. My bag always contains umbrellas, raincoats for the kids and  some warm clothes for the unexpected cold and I have nothing to worry about. To be on the smart side always keep the weather app on your phone handy and you have not a thing to worry about when you experience four seasons in a day.

For those coming to visit Melbourne the best time to do so is September to November and March to May when it is Spring and Autumn here, the weather is beautiful and very pleasant perfect for walks or cycling. Albeit the coldest temperatures are recorded in the month of July and the hottest in the month of January.