Hi guys

I'm living in Melbourne at the moment, but am considering a move to Perth...

Can anyone with experience of living in Perth tell me what to expect weather wise????
Does it have a winter like Vic? (Cold and wet from June-Sept)
How long does the cold/wet weather last?
Similarly - how hot does it get in summertime, and how long does the REALLY hot weather last? Are we talking days/weeks or months?

Any info would be appreciated

Wannabe x

Well winter is here at the moment. It is cold in the morning and the evening. It was around 8 this morning. The temp rises to between 17-23 usually during the day but it can take until 3 to get to that then it drops like a stone at 4 pm.

It has always made me laugh when the news says Perth will have showers as to me those showers are torrential rain.

We had no rain from November to April when we had the massive freak hail storm that caused lots of damage. Since then we've had some more wet days but I "think" I can count those on less than 10 fingers. Last year August and September were particularly wet.

Autumn is my favourite time. Cooler days at approx 25.

Summer can get very hot. I think the hottest we had was 44 this year. Those days don't run consecutively for long though. Sometimes just a day sometimes 3-4 in a row and it can be draining when it is late 30s into the 40s. We find we tend to stay in or sit by the rellies pool for the day.

The stinky hot time lasts about 6 weeks but the weather is in the 30s from December to February/March time.

Well put simply its very cold in the winter and very hot in the summer. The cold never used to bother me in the UK but here it really gets to me. I think its to do with the houses having no insulation

So far this year its only rained briefly a couple of days but I think it willget a bit more rainey in the months to come. These dont last long though, it rains for an hour, stops for a couple of hours then rains again. Its quiet strange its like its just turned on and off instantly.

The summer does get very hot, it stays 35+ consistently and really drains you after a few weeks. It will frequently pop up to 40+, I think the peak I had was 48 once, but typically it can hang around 45 for a few days or a week and then slope down to 35. To me 35 is still uncomfortable though.

How does melbourne compare?, I have been thinking about a move from perth to melb to escape the weather here!

Thanks Kingseat

Would it be cold enough at this time of year to have your heating on? From experience in Melbourne - the quaility and build of houses, makes the outside temp feel a lot cooler than it is!

Can you give me an idea - if you had an outdoor pool - which months could you actually use it - comfortably???

Regards Wannabe x

We built a well-insulated house, i.e. we may not be your avergae house, but I am sitting at my computer in a T-shirt, thin fleecy sweatshirt over the top, thin cotton trousers, and bare feet - and I am nice and comfortable (no need to have the heating on).

It's a lovely sunny day today .

In the rental we had reverse cycle air-con and that was sufficient heating for winter.

The Melbourne weather is certainly cooler than Perth on average. From Nov onwards through until late March the weather for me is nearly perfect with hardly any rain and mostly warm sunny days around 28-32. During Dec/Jan/Feb you can get the odd day in the 40s but I reckon they never hang around for anymore than a day at a time as a cool change will usually swoop in from the South in the late afternoon early evening. There are times though when the temp will stay above 30 over night but this is a rare occurence thankfully. The autumn is also pleasant as the temp hovers around 22-25 with moderate levels of rain. Winter is cold by Australian standards with cold mornings around 6-8 and afternoons getting up to 14-17. The end of winter early spring seems worse as the winds come from the south and can cut you in half it also seems to get quite wet then as well. Overall Melbourne weather is pretty good if you can handle the chilly winters. I think the winter here is similar to most of the summer we used to get in Scotland perhaps a little cooler but not as wet.

Well Dave99

Melbourne is lovely from Oct - Dec, bright skies, warm temps (25-30).....Jan - March are the warmer months, the last few years have seen some hot days (upto 43??) but on the whole in the early thirties (which personally I love).
I really love the time from Nov - March.......but then comes........Winter!!!!!

I know a lot of people who love this time, and the contrast with the summer months, but personally, I can't stand it.

May - Sept it's cold, wet and downright miserable....don't get me wrong you will get the odd nice(ish) day, but not many. As you mentioned the houses have no insulation which (as a stay at home mom) makes it really cold. Most days I'll go out just to get warm! Trying to get washing dry is a nightmare - even if it doesn't actually rain - it looks as though it could at any minute.

There will be plenty of people here that love that aspect of Melbourne, and to some degree I would agree - the four seasons are ok - I just wish the winter bit would only last one week, and be over

Maybe we should house swap for a few seasons???

We have a solar heated pool and it gets used about 7 months of the year about October to April.

I am in a rented uninsulated house and it is cold although not bad now the temps have started to rise. We have blankets on the sofa, an oild filled radiator and reverse cycle for the evenings!

The pool would be used late November but probably December, Jan, Feb and may be some of March. All year though if you have a heated one.

Everybody obviously experiences "weather" very subjectively.

Some objective information is at www.bom.gov.au

My very own subjective experience from 2.5 years in Perth:

Spring and autumn are lovely and sunny.

Winter: Yes, it rains. But you don't get days and days of non-stop rain/drizzle with grey skies like in the UK. Instead, the heavens open and there is a torrent of water. Water runs down the middle of the road and the windscreen wipers in the car can't keep up. This goes on for 10-20 minutes, then it stops and the sun shines. That might be it for the day. On "rainy days" we will have several of these on/off episodes.

Rain is also very localised. For example, the official rain gauge for the Bureau of Meterology (BOM), might show that Perth had rain. But our suburb may have had no rain whatsoever (and vice versa).

As for temperatures: The weatherman on the radio just told me we had the lowest temperature for the year in Perth today at 6.5 degrees early this morning. Top temperature for today is forecast as 18 degrees. It's a sunny day - not a cloud in sight from my study window.

Temperatures around Perth can vary quite a lot: In the hills it is hotter in summer with higher humidity, less/no breeze, colder in winter (I have been told that people scrape off their windscreens there in the morning).

We live on the coast: Warmer in winter, cooler in summer, low humidity, always a breeze.

Summer: We get sunny skies for months on end. I love that. Some people hate it.

February is hot and humid. It's the humidity that makes me "feel" the heat. For some reason, in February we get the weather from the east - which brings the humidity. I don't like high humidity - so, I don't like February.

I love the rest of summer. The temperature is generally in the 30s with low humidity and a lovely breeze (because we live near the coast).

The weather here is reliable . I mean that you do not get four seasons in the day. If the forecast is for sunny weather - that's what you'll get.

The above is my subjective experience. I love the Perth weather and climate. But someone else could equally hate everything about it.

So you want to move just because you want a warmer winter? Thats It?
I would move to QLD if that was the case..

From the sounds of it, you feel the same way about the weather I do and perth is almost identical to how you described melb, with the exception of it getting a little hotter here in the summer but the winters sound pretty much the same unfortunately

in a word...

itsfluckinfreezinatthemomentoooohhhhwwww!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

With regards to hot weather,found Darwin never failed in that area,either.

It seems to me that most people only move to oz for year round weather