Australia is too extensive to have a
single climate. It is not necessarily ‘hot and dry’, as it
tends to be characterised, although such a description can
be applied with moderate accuracy to the interior. It is
important to realise that the Tropic of Capricorn runs
through Rockhampton, towards the south of Queensland, and
that approximately one-third of Australia is tropical.
One can, therefore, make a basic separation into two
distinct climates - tropical and temperate. Again, very
roughly, but for simplicity of explanation, Queensland, the
Northern Territory and the northern half of Western
Australia may be regarded as tropical, while New South
Wales, the Australian Capital Territory, Victoria, Tasmania,
South Australia and the southern half of Western Australia
are temperate.
In the temperate area, the seasons are similar to, but at
the opposite time of the year to, those in the northern
hemisphere - in Europe or North America, for example. In an
average year, the southern capital cities ( Sydney,
Canberra, Melbourne, Hobart, Adelaide and Perth) will
experience one or two occasions when the temperature rises
to 40ºC and one or two occasions when the temperature
descends to 0ºC (except that Perth has recorded 0ºC (32ºF)
only once in its meteorological history - on 15th July 1997
- and Sydney’s lowest is 2.1ºC (35.8ºF) on 22nd June 1932).
As one moves further inland, temperatures tend to be more
extreme and rainfall tends to decrease.
Australia claims to be the driest continent on this planet,
and South Australia claims to be the driest state in the
driest continent. In general, the rain falls mainly around
the coast, so that inland one finds dry, dusty conditions
unsuitable for much agriculture and only very sparsely
populated. Snow lies only in a small area around the border
of New South Wales and Victoria where the nation’s highest
mountains are to be found, and also in some parts of
Tasmania.
The northern parts are quite different in climate, for they
have not summer and winter, but tropical Wet and Dry
Seasons. Those unfamiliar with such a climate often
misunderstand the temperatures which accompany such seasons.
The Wet is the hotter of the two, while the Dry is
pleasantly warm, but not overpoweringly hot. In between the
two is sandwiched a season generally known as the Build-Up,
when humidity gradually increases until it reaches almost
100% and temperatures too become higher and higher, reaching
the highest levels of the whole year, until one day the
heavens open and general relief is felt that the Wet has at
long last started. If there is a season to avoid, it is the
Build-Up.
The Wet typically lasts from December until March, the Dry
from April until August and the Build-Up from September
until November. Typical maxima might be 33ºC in the Wet,
28ºC in the Dry and 36ºC in the Build-Up. This type of
climate is coastal. As one moves inland rainfall decreases
and day temperatures tend to be higher.
Most people believe that the best time to be in the southern
half of Australia is during the summer or autumn, that is
December until May, and the best time to be in northern
Australia is during the Dry, that is April until August. The
torrential downpours at the start of the tropical Wet
Season, for example, are awe-inspiring sights. Just take the
weather as it comes and enjoy it.
However, if your main purpose is lying on the beach, it is
worth noting that from July until November you would be
better off in the northern part of Australia, and also that
the tropical Wet Season will limit access to places off the
main routes. Also note that the north and north-west are
prone to some very fierce cyclones during the Wet.
On the topic of climate, some of the Australian records are
interesting and surprising. For example, which capital city
has recorded the highest temperature? When asked this
question, many people guess Darwin. However, in fact all of
the other seven capital cities, even Hobart (40.8ºC,
105.4ºF), have recorded higher temperatures than Darwin’s
40.5ºC (104.9ºF) on 17th October 1892. The capital city with
the highest temperature is actually Adelaide with 47.6ºC
(117.7ºF) on 12th January 1939. The highest temperature ever
recorded anywhere in Australia was 53.1ºC (127.6ºF) in
Cloncurry, Queensland on 16th January 1889. In recent years,
the validity of this record has been challenged, since it
was a while ago and the equipment used would not satisfy
today’s standards. However, most people still regard this as
the record. The Meteorological Office, however, is prepared
to vouch only for the 50.7ºC (123.3ºF) recorded in
Oodnadatta, South Australia on 2nd January 1960.
Marble Bar in Western Australia claims a world record by
having recorded 160 consecutive days with a temperature of
over 100ºF (37.8ºC), from 31st October 1923 until 7th April
1924.
The coldest capital city, as one might expect, is Canberra,
since it is inland and at an altitude of approximately 550
metres. It recorded -10ºC (14ºF) on 11th July 1971.
The lowest temperature ever recorded in Australia was -23ºC
(-9.4ºF) at Charlotte Pass, New South Wales on 29th June
1994.
The wettest place in Australia is Mt. Bellenden Ker, near
Tully in northern Queensland . It holds the record for
rainfall in a year - 12,461 millimetres (490.6 inches, or
nearly 41 feet) in 2000, and the record for rainfall in a
day - 1,140 millimetres (44.9 inches) on 4th January 1979.
During the same downpour, it also recorded 2,517 millimetres
(99.1 inches) over a period of three days.
The record for wind speed is claimed by Learmonth, near
Exmouth in Western Australia , where 267 km/hr (166 m.p.h.)
was recorded on 22nd March 1999, during the passing of
Cyclone Vance. There may have been higher speeds during
Cyclone Tracy in Darwin in 1974, but the wind speed gauge
jammed at 217 km/hr (135 m.p.h.). |
