Australia Weather

Australia climate

Australia is the world's driest inhabited continent, but its vast size creates climate zones ranging from tropical monsoon in the north to temperate in the southeast and Mediterranean in the southwest. The enormous interior Outback is hot and arid, with some of the most extreme temperatures recorded in the Southern Hemisphere. Australia's isolation in the Southern Hemisphere means its seasons are reversed from the Northern Hemisphere, with summer from December to February.

Tropical cyclones threaten the northern coastline from November through April, while the south experiences cold fronts and storms from the Southern Ocean during winter. Australia is strongly influenced by ENSO — El Niño events bring drought and increased bushfire risk, while La Niña brings flooding rains and tropical cyclone activity. The bushfire seasons of recent years have produced unprecedented fire weather, with the 2019-2020 "Black Summer" burning over 17 million hectares.

Sydney has a mild, humid subtropical climate with warm summers around 26°C and cool winters around 13°C. Melbourne is famously changeable, where "four seasons in one day" is a genuine possibility as cold fronts sweep through. Perth has a Mediterranean climate with hot, dry summers and mild, wet winters. Darwin in the tropical north has distinct wet and dry seasons with monsoon rains. The Great Barrier Reef region has warm, tropical conditions year-round.