Melbourne has just experienced some wonderful sunny June days. Yesterday, despite the howling wind, Melbourne basked in 7.4 hours of sunshine with a top of 17.6°C. On Friday, people were pleasantly surprised with a glorious 8.8 hours of sunshine with a top of 16.5°C. Today marks a third sunny day with a forecast of 8 hours of sunshine but a cooler top of 15°C. This is very fortunate given southeast Australia is currently between two cold fronts.

Image: Himawari-9 visible satellite imagery and BoM radar at 12pm Sun 18^th

Melbourne is often thought of as a rainier place than Sydney, even though it receives only half the average annual rainfall of Sydney each year. So, what makes people think that? That would be because of the cloudier conditions with more days of light rain and drizzle during the cooler months. During June, Melbourne averages about 3.5 hours of sunshine each day compared to Sydney’s average of close to 6 hours. The following map shows the June average sunshine hours across Australia.

Image: Average sunshine hours in June. Source: Bureau of Meteorology.

Besides two days, Sydney has had over 9 hours of sunshine each day since Friday the 9th. So, 7 and 8 hours of sunshine for three days in Melbourne isn’t newsworthy to sunny Sydney. But for those who live in Melbourne it’s a real treat. Unfortunately for them it’s going to turn wintery as the cold front barrels through overnight into tomorrow, increasing cloud cover and showers, with maximum temperatures forecast to reach only 11 and 12°C from Monday to at least Friday. So, enjoy the rest of the weekend.