If you thought it was especially cold, you were right – it’s been almost a decade since Warrnambool residents have seen a February day with such a low maximum temperature.

In Warrnambool, the temperature reached 16.3 degrees about midday, giving Sunday the modest title of having the lowest maximum temperature for a February day since 2008.

Bureau of Meteorology duty forecaster Stuart Coombs said February 6, 2008 had a maximum temperature of 15.9 degrees.

Mr Coombs said although no significant records were were set in Warrnambool, other parts of the state saw long-term records broken.

Melbourne had its coldest February day since 2005, reaching a maximum of 17.3 degrees, while Swan Hill saw a record February minimum of 5.5 degrees, falling below the 6.4 degrees recorded in 1993.

On February 2, 2005 Melbourne only reached a maximum temperature of 15.5 degrees. 

Mangalore, north of Melbourne, saw consecutive overnight lows of 4.2 and 3.5 degrees that broke a record set in the 1960s.

Hamilton had a slightly warmer day, reaching a maximum temperature of 17.2 degrees about 2pm, while Portland reached 16.2 degrees mid-afternoon.

Warrnambool saw 15.4 millimetres of rain on Sunday, bringing the total rainfall for the month so far to more than 50 millimetres – exceeding the February average of 30.2 millimetres.

Sunday’s conditions prompted the closure of Cape Bridgewater beach due to strong winds and significant swells. Wind gusts up to 54 km/h were recorded in Portland.

Warmer weather will make at least one more appearance before the end of the month, with a maximum of 32 degrees forecast for Warrnambool on Wednesday.

Hamilton is forecast to reach up to 34 degrees on Wednesday, while its predicted Portland will experience 30 degrees.