Last Updated:
Friday, 05. September 2008

Weather in Australia

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Weather in Australia

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The weather in Australia is varied.

To anyone that says the weather in this country is great, they must remember that it is a big country, and very varied in conditions.

Checking the weather as I type this I see that the temperature varies as follows:

• between 10.6°C and 29.8°C in NSW,
• between 28.2°C and 40.1°C in the NT,
• between 23.8°C and 40.8°C in QLD,
• between 16.9°C and 22.9°C in SA,
• between -.09°C and 17.6°C in Tasmania,
• between 6.0°C and 21.7°C in VIC and
• between 20.5°C and 41.2°C in WA.

These are all minimum and maximum temperatures quoted within 30 minutes of each other at the Weatherzone website.

So the bottom line is that during the last 30 minutes, here in Australia, the temperature is between -.09°C and 41.2°C depending on exactly where you are. Even just on the mainland it is between 10.6°C and 41.2°C.

Even when looking at Brisbane, the temperature can vary between different areas.  Often it may only be a couple of °C difference, but it can also reach differences of up to 10°C when Ipswich is compared to the Bayside.

For example, on Jan 7th 2004, the maximum temperature recorded at Ipswich was 40.9°C, whilst at Brisbane Airport it was only 32.1°C.

Exactly 6 months later on July 7th (Winter) the lowest temperature recorded at Ipswich was -2.7°C, whilst at Brisbane Airport it was 4.0°C. 

It is generally found that the summer temperatures are cooler when closer to the Bayside, at least here in Brisbane, when compared to Inland, and yet, during winter, Inland areas get colder than those Bayside areas.

Humid Heat or Dry Heat ?

The higher the humidity, the hotter you will feel, even when compared to the same temperature in a lower humidity location.  In a Low humidity are, with Dry heat, your sweat evaporates faster, leaving you feeling drier.  In a High Humidity area, your sweat does not leave you, and you can still feel hot and sticky even after a shower.

Rain

Rainfall is also another variation. On the 7th November 2004, Coolangatta in the Gold Coast received 207.4mm of rain in 24 hours, whilst Brisbane Airport recorded only 3.8mm and Ipswich 80.4mm in exactly the same period. The average annual rainfall for these three areas is: Coolangatta - 1438.6mm, Brisbane Airport - 1185.4mm and Ipswich - 853.6mm

20.0°C in Australia, is that Warm or Cold ?

I used to think that 20.0°C was warm, but sitting here now at 20.0°C, it feels much cooler than I remember it being in the UK.  I must have acclimatised to the Australian Temperatures.

When I think about it, a drop of 10°C from 20 to 10 in the UK would feel cold, I wonder if it feels just as cold when it goes down from 30 to 20 here in QLD ?

The weather in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

In mid winter, July 2007, the temperature in Brisbane, QLD, Australia varied between 3.8°C and 26.7°C.  There were 14 days in July 2007 that the temperature went below 8°C, mainly overnight.  Comparing the temperatures at 9am, they ranged between 11.1°C and 17.6°C, with 2 days being below 12°C.  At 3pm, the range was between 15.1°C and 26.2°C, with 14 days being below 20°C at 3pm, although still above 15°C.

In Summer, looking at January 2008, the temperature in Brisbane, QLD, Australia varied between 17.6°C and 31.3°C.  The 9am temperature varied between 22.0°C and 28.7°C, whilst the 3pm temperature varied between 22.3°C and 30.5°C. There were 4 days when the temperature exceeded 30°C in Brisbane during January 2008.

The above information, and much more is available at: http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/dwo/IDCJDW4019.latest.shtml

The weather in Canberra, ACT, Australia

In mid winter, July 2007, the temperature in Canberra, ACT, Australia varied between -4.7°C and 15.7°C.  There were 16 days in July 2007 that the temperature went below 0°C, mainly overnight.  Comparing the temperatures at 9am, they ranged between -0.8°C and 11.7°C, with 2 days being below 0°C.  At 3pm, the range was between 6.7°C and 15.4°C, 13 days were below 10°C at 3pm.

In Summer, looking at January 2008, the temperature in Canberra, ACT, Australia varied between 9.9°C and 35.8°C.  The 9am temperature varied between 14.7°C and 24.7°C, whilst the 3pm temperature varied between 18.6°C and 34.5°C. There were 15 days when the temperature exceeded 30°C in Canberra during January 2008.

The above information, and much more is available at: http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/dwo/IDCJDW0100.shtml

Weather information can be found from the following sites:-

WEATHER SITES

• Bureau of Meteorology Commonwealth of Australia 2004,
• Weatherzone: Australias 5 Day Weather Forecast for:

Brisbane QLD : Sydney NSW : Perth WA : Melbourne VIC

Adelaide SA : Darwin NT : Hobart TAS : Canberra ACT

WEATHER HISTORY for last 24 hours

• Brisbane Airport
• Ipswich - Amberley Airport
• Gold Coast
• Sunshine Coast

DAILY WEATHER HISTORY for last 13 months

• Queensland 139 locations of Daily Weather Observations for the previous 13 months
• ACT

At that link, individual index pages are also available for other locations in Australia.

The Seasons

We have Four seasons:

• Summer = December, January & February
• Autumn = March, April & May
• Winter = June, July & August
• Spring = September, October & November

An interesting website to the show the SIX seasons recognised by the Bininj/Mungguy (local Aboriginal people) in the Kakadu region is : http://www.deh.gov.au/parks/kakadu/artculture/seasons.html