Australia Weather

Weather and Climate in Australia

Australia is a large continent with a varied climate and wide range of landscapes, everything from mountains, grassy plains, deserts and tropical rainforests. Situated in the Southern Hemisphere, Australia becomes warmer further north and colder further south. The seasons are inverted to those in the Northern Hemisphere, with the summer months from December to February, the autumn months from March to May, the winter months from June to August and the spring months from September to November.

The further North you travel in Australia the warmer and wetter it becomes, as this closer to the equator. The North has a tropical climate and the monsoon belt around Darwin produces a Dry Season from May to September and a Wet Season from December to March. Early in the dry season is a good time of year to visit the northern regions when heat and humidity are at their lowest.

Australia is one of the driest continents on Earth, particularly the desert interior which is hot during the day and sometimes bitterly cold at night. The dry conditions in Australia often result in droughts that may last several years and bushfires that can devastate rural areas. The Southern regions of Australia vary more in climate than the north, though it is generally milder the further South you go. The more heavily populated areas on the South-Eastern coast have an oceanic climate with hot summers and mild winters.

Generally speaking the Australia summer is exceptionally hot and the winter is chilly, though rarely freezing. There is however snowfall in the Snowy Mountains of NSW and the High Country of North-East Victoria and opportunities to ski and snowboard.