Australia Climate

Australia’s Weather and Climate

The world’s sixth largest country, Australia covers a total of 7,686,850 sq km.  As a result Australia’s climate varies from place to place.  Most of Australia, however, has an arid, or semi-arid climate and, as a result, it is the world’s driest inhabited continent.  This said, however, Australia boasts lush tropical areas, as well as pleasant temperate regions.  Located in the southern hemisphere, Australia’s seasons are opposite to those of countries located within the northern hemisphere.  As in all countries within the southern hemisphere summer falls from December to February, followed by autumn from March to May; next comes winter from June to August and, lastly, spring from September to November.  From season to season Australia welcomes a variety of weather patterns.

Located in an arid and semi-arid zone, Australia’s interior is a place of wild beauty.  From Alice Springs in the Northern Territory, Meekatharra in Western Australia and Port Augusta in South Australia, these dry towns are subject to intense heat during the day and bitter cold during the night hours.  Very little rainfall falls in Australia’s interior region and, as a result, it is often in a state of drought.  Summer temperatures can soar to 40 degrees Celsius, and above, and on cold winter nights it is not unusual for temperatures to plummet to below zero degrees Celsius.

The northern parts of Western Australia, as well as the northern and central parts of Queensland and the Northern Territory lie within Australia’s tropical region.  It is in Australia’s tropical region that one will experience Australia’s wet season and Australia’s dry season, with each season lasting, approximately, six months.  It is during spring and summer that the tropical region welcomes the wet season.  During the wet season Australia’s tropics are faced with heavy downpours, which often result in flooding.  As the name suggests, the dry season, on the other hand, is dry.  The skies are clear and days, at an average of 20 degrees Celsius, although, still warm, are significantly cooler than the often-sweltering days that accompany the wet season.

A temperate climate can be experienced along the southeastern coast of Australia; the southern most regions of South Australia, as well as the southwestern tip of Western Australia also experience a temperate climate.  Australia’s temperate regions are subject to hot summers, with days reaching 30 degrees Celsius or higher, and cooler, sometimes even cold, winters.  Although it may get cold during the winter season, unless one is visiting the Great Dividing Range, it is not common to experience a winter snowfall in Australia.

Australia’s varying climates and temperatures offer the best of all worlds; one can enjoy a beautiful day on the beach or, with a trip to the Great Dividing Range, one can have a fun filled day skiing in the white winter snow.


K.Patten