Seasonal fluctuations can be great with temperatures ranging from above 50° Celsius to well below zero. Minimum temperatures are moderated by the lack of mountains and the influence of surrounding oceans.

Australia is relatively arid, with 80% of the land having a rainfall less than 600 millimetres per year and 50% having even less than 300 millimetres.

Most Australians live near the wetter more moderate south eastern coasts primarily in major cities.

Australia's climate is dominated by the dry, sinking air of the subtropical high pressure belt which moves north and south with the seasons. This causes the rainfall pattern over Australia to be strongly seasonal and helps to define the main climate regions shown below.

Climate Zones

When the high pressure systems move north during winter, southern Australia comes under the influence of westerly winds and rain-bearing cold fronts. Most of Australia's primary production occurs in the temperate regions of the south and east, and relies on this winter rainfall. Cold snaps may lead to frosts inland, though temperatures about the coast are generally mild all year round. Summers over southern Australia are mostly dry and hot with coastal sea-breezes. Following a long dry spell, hot, dry winds from the interior can cause bushfires in southern and eastern Australia. The inflammability of the Australian bush (which has adapted to the climate) adds to the risk.

In comparison, tropical regions of northern Australia experience a wet summer as the monsoon moves in. During “the wet”, typically October to April, moist northwesterly winds bring humid conditions with showers and thunderstorms. Rainfall amounts may vary markedly from year-to-year, and occasional tropical cyclones can bring abundant rainfall to tropical coastal regions and possibly further inland. Once the monsoon has retreated, winter brings blue skies and mild, dry conditions. Dryland agriculture and pastoralism have adapted to the harsh climate of the vast inland tropical area.

As a result of the influence of the high pressure belt, much of Australian rainfall is low and variable. Eighty per cent of the continent has an average annual rainfall less than 600 mm. The vegetation of the arid interior adapts to dry conditions and responds quickly when rainfall is received.

Climate of New South Wales

New South Wales is entirely in the temperate zone. The climate is generally mild, equable and mostly free from extremes of heat and cold, but very high temperatures occur in the northwest and very cold temperatures on the Southern Tablelands. The Great Dividing Range, running approximately north to south in the east of New South Wales, has a large impact on the climate, creating four distinct climate zones; the coastal strip, the highlands, the Western Slopes and the flatter country to the west.

The climate of the coastal strip is influenced by the warm waters of the Tasman Sea, which in general keep the region free from extremes of temperature and provide moisture to increase rainfall, the annual median of which ranges from about 750 mm in the south to 2000 mm in the north.

The mountains of the Great Divide attain a maximum height of 2228 metres at Mt. Kosciuszko, and there are several peaks in excess of 1500 metres, extending up to northern NSW. Traveling from east to west across the range, the elevation abruptly increases away from the coastal plain, and then west of the divide it gradually descends onto the Western Plains. Consequently winter snowfalls are experienced over what are aptly called the Tableland regions.

On the Western Slopes the rainfall gradually decreases, together with the frequency of winter snowfalls. Average maximum temperatures gradually increase as height above sea level decreases.

Further to the west the land slowly flattens out to the dry inland plains, notable for cold nights. It is in the far northwest where the hottest temperatures in the State most commonly occur during summer, and where the annual mean rainfall drops below 200 mm.

The way in which the climate changes across the State is reflected by marked changes in vegetation, which ranges from the subtropical rainforests of the northeast to the fragile alpine heathlands in the southern Alps, through the dry forests and undulating pasturelands of the midwest to the dry plains of the northwest.

Outdoor activities also vary significantly across the State. Mild winters along the North Coast favour beach activities whilst at the other extreme the snow fields of the southern Alps become a winter playground for skiers.

More Information

For any Australian climate or weather information including maps, tables and graphs go to the Bureau of Meteorology Website.