Climate in Australia

Climate in Australia

The climate of Australia varies greatly from the arid desert regions in the centre of Australia, the tropical areas in the north, to the temperate areas of the south.

Rainfall patterns vary with the seasonal changes, especially in the tropical regions. Due to Australia’s climate, Australia is susceptible to natural events, such as drought, cyclones, floods, and massive lightning storms.


Like all countries in the southern hemisphere, Australia's seasons follow the sequence:

Summer: December to February
Autumn: March to May
Winter: June to August
Spring: September to November


Australias regions

Tropical regions

Australia’s tropical region is mainly the northern areas of the country, in states such as Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia. Tropical Australia has two very different seasons, the wet season and the dry season.

The wet season lasts for six months during summer and spring. Due to high humidity, there is a lot of rain in the wet season, which can cause floods in some rural regions. Cyclones also are natural hazards which are present during Australia’s wet seasons.

The dry season starts in autumn and lasts six months through to the end of winter. The average maximum temperature during the day is approximately 20 degrees.


Dry regions

The dry regions of Australia are the central Australia, large vast deserts with little or no vegetation due to the low rainfall. The dry regions are susceptible to drought during the summer months.

The dry regions experience intense heat during the day and intense cold during the night. Maximum temperatures can vary from approximately 40 degrees during the summer months, to an average of 20 degrees during the winter months. Minimum temperatures can vary from an average of 20 degrees during the summer months, to a winter average of 0 degrees.


Coastal regions

The coastal regions of Australia are mainly along the South East coast of New South Wales, along the southern areas of Australia all the way around to Western Australia. The temperature can vary from a maximum of approximately 35 degrees in summer months to 15 degrees in winter months. The minimum temperatures vary from 15 degrees in summer months to 0 degrees in winter months. Bushfires sometimes occur during the summer months.