1880 – The great flood causes the Yarra River to swell to in width. The most significant flood in Melbourne's recorded history, it forces thousands to vacate their homes and causes at least one death.
2 February 1918 – The Brighton tornado, an F3 class and the most intense tornado to hit a major Australian city, strikes the bayside suburb of Brighton.
29 November to 1 December 1934 – Torrential rainfall of up to 350 mm causes the Yarra River to become a raging torrent. Extensive damage with 35 dead, 250 injured, and 3,000 homeless.
13 January 1939 – Melbourne experiences its second-hottest temperature on record,, during a four-day nationwide heat wave in which the Black Friday bushfires destroy townships that are now Melbourne suburbs.
3 December 1954 – Record rainfall causes flooding in Elwood and Flemington with homes evacuated. Train lines are closed by landslides, basement level shops are flooded, and events are cancelled.
February 1972 – Elizabeth Street is flooded after 75mm of rain in 17 minutes, with dramatic pictures of cars floating and underwater in the central city.
7 April 1977 – Laverton smashed by 12 hour thunderstorm and breaks several Victorian rainfall records including most rainfall; in 2 hours, in 3 hours and in 4 hours.
8 February 1983 – The city is enveloped by a massive dust storm that "turned day into night".
16 February 1983 – Melbourne is encircled by an arc of fire as the Ash Wednesday fires encroach on the city.
18 September 1984 – Storm causes flooding of 100 homes in the eastern suburbs.
December 1990 – Heatwave causes 4 deaths.
26 December 1999 – Flash flooding damages 300 homes with the worst effect on Broadmeadows.
January 2009 – A heatwave results in a record three successive days over. This is closely followed by Melbourne's hottest day on record on 7 February, when the temperature reaches in the CBD. This same heatwave triggers the Black Saturday bushfires, the worst in Australian history.
6 March 2010 – Storms pass directly over Melbourne bringing large hail, flash flooding and high winds, causing widespread damage across western and central Victoria, stopping all modes of transportation in Melbourne. CBD streets of Flinders, Spencer and Elizabeth are spectacularly flash flooded.
4 February 2011 – Severe rainstorm causes flash flooding in parts of Melbourne.
25 December 2011 – Severe thunderstorms, large hailstones, flash flooding, and reports of tornadoes cause major damage to houses and vehicles in the worst-hit areas of Fiskville, Melton, Taylors Lakes, and Keilor Downs.
4–12 March 2013 – Melbourne faces a 10-day heatwave.
31 May 2013 – Melbourne faces heavy rain and thunderstorms; Melbourne Airport records 10mm of rain in 10 minutes just after 9 p.m.
18 July 2013 – Melbourne records the highest July temperature ever, reaching.
14–17 January 2014 – Melbourne records four consecutive days of temperatures exceeding, two of which exceed.
21 November 2016 – Thunderstorm asthma kills 9 and hospitalises hundreds, high heat and humidity cause thunderstorms to form northwest of the city, due to excessive grass growth in the north and west of Melbourne these storms send pollen into Melbourne and its suburbs raising pollen counts and triggering thousands of severe asthma attacks. The massive number of attacks overloaded emergency services and contributed to the fatalities.
14 December 2018 - Flash flooding with roughly 30 mm of rain falling within 15 minutes before 5:45 p.m, during rush hour, flooding roads in inner Melbourne along with other various suburbs while shutting down most tram lines and train lines in Melbourne's East
Highest and lowest temperatures
Many of the hottest days recorded in Melbourne occurred during major heatwaves which precipitated large firestorms:
– 6 February 1851
– 7 February 2009
– 13 January 1939
Melbourne's coldest temperature ever was on 21 July 1869.
