Warrnambool has recorded its highest average maximum temperature for January in 48 years.
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The city's average maximum temperature for January was 27.5 degrees, the hottest since 1974 when it was 27.6 degrees.
Last month's average maximum temperature was also close to three degrees higher than the long-term January average of 24.6 with the hottest day being 38.5 on January 26.
Hamilton had the highest daily average for the region at 29.7 followed by Mortlake at 29.1, Portland at 25, and Port Fairy at 22.6.
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A Bureau of Meteorology spokeswoman said the Warrnambool region, along with many other parts of the country, would likely continue to see increases in air temperatures with more heat extremes and fewer cold extremes.
The city's reprieve from the January heat was also lulled with the average minimum temperature (14.6 degrees) resting at nearly three degrees more than the long-term average.
Although January had a mostly dry start and mid-month this year, a heavy downpour on Saturday meant the month's rainfall total was just two millimetres shy of the region's average January total.
Saturday's rainfall total of 14.2 millimetres was the highest single day total for January.
The largest daily amount of rain Warrnambool received before that was 6.8 millimetres on January 14.
Mortlake had the most rain with 83.6mm in the month, including 36.8mm on January 28 while Port Fairy had 78.2mm, including 43mm on January 14. Hamilton recorded 44mm and Portland 32.2mm.
The quick and largely isolated rain days indicated the bureau's forecast of more "intense, short duration heavy rainfall events" in its State of the Climate 2020 report.
The bureau also predicts maximum temperatures will continue to be above median for western Victoria in February with an increased chance of unusually high maximum temperatures being forecasted for the area.
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