 The highest temperature recorded was on 7 February 2009 during a two-week-long heat wave, with the lowest of recorded on 5 August 1997.The average annual rainfall is around , which makes Geelong the driest sizeable city in Australia, owing to the pronounced rain shadow of the Otway Ranges to the southwest.Within the city, rainfall shows a strong gradient from south to north, so that the southernmost suburbs can receive around whilst more northerly Lara receives as little as , which is the lowest rainfall in southern Victoria.