Ballarat has a moderate oceanic climate (K�ppen climate classification Cfb) with four seasons. Its elevation, at 435 metres (1,427 feet) above sea level, causes its mean monthly temperatures to tend on average 3 � 4 degrees Celsius below those of Melbourne, although maximum temperatures over the summer period frequently exceed 30.0 �C (86 �F) and often reach above 40.0 �C (104 �F). The mean daily maximum temperature for January is 25.0 �C (77 �F) whilst the mean minimum is 10.8 �C (51 �F) In July, the mean maximum is 10.0 �C (50 �F), with average July minimum is 3.2 �C (38 �F).
The mean annual rainfall is 695 millimetres (27.75 in), with August being the wettest month (77 mm/3.0 in). There are an average of 198 rain-free days per year. Like much of Australia, Ballarat experiences cyclical drought and heavy rainfall. Flooding of the Yarrowee catchment occurs occasionally. In 1869 a serious flood of the Yarrowee River put most of the lower section of business district including Bridge and Grenville streets underwater and causing the loss of two lives. Prolonged drought (an average annual rainfall with falls averaging as low as 400 mm (16 in) per year since 2001) caused Lake Wendouree to dry up completely for the first time in its history between 2006 and 2007. More recently higher rainfall levels have been recorded including 95.0 mm (3.74 in) in the 24 hours to 9 am on 14 January 2011, ending a four-day period of flooding rains across much of Victoria and Tasmania, and contributing to the wettest January on record, with a total of 206.0 mm (8.11 in) of rain for the month.
Light snowfall typically falls on nearby Mount Buninyong and Mount Warrenheip at least once a year but only in the urban area during heavy winters. Widespread frosts and fog are more common during the cooler months. Snow has been known to fall heavily. Heavy snow seasons occurred in 1900�1902, 1905�1907 (with record falls in 1906) and moderate snow seasons during the 1940s and 1980s
