Weather difference in Australia?
 

Hi there,

Just a quick question, a total newbie so please excuse my lack of knowledge! : )

How does the weather/ humidity differ?

Perth, Melbourne, Adelaide, Sydney?

Is there a certain area that suffers in the hotter months?

Aprox what is the weather like in the colder months, max in the hotter months.

Thanks ; )

Re: Weather difference in Australia?
 

That really requires a thesis to answer! Check out the BOM site - http://www.bom.gov.au/ for an overall description (check the historical records/averages).

In general terms the further north you go the hotter it will become. The further inland you go from the coast the less humid it will be. The further North you go the more likely you are to experience cyclones. Bushfires can happen anywhere

Re: Weather difference in Australia?
 

Perth/Adelaide hot dry summers,cool wet winters,Melbourne cooler and wetter but very changable.Sydney warmer than Melb and more Humid.
Brisbane hotter and more Humid again.Darwin don't ask

Re: Weather difference in Australia?
 

It's a myth that Brisbane is hotter - probably has a higher average yearly temp than the southern states but generally cooler in summer and warmer in winter.

Re: Weather difference in Australia?
 

Here is a good site http://www.weatherzone.com.au/climate/stationdrill.jsp

Re: Weather difference in Australia?
 

Well that sounds like a bit of a myth too. BOM provides stats for these types of things - average max across Dec / Jan / Feb ( & days over 30C per year):

Brisbane - 29.2C (50)
Perth - 29.0C (54)
Adelaide - 28.6C (55)
Sydney - 25.6C (15)
Melbourne - 25.3C (30)

Re: Weather difference in Australia?
 

:ohmy:Not to mention app temps.A 29 dec day in Perth is far more comfortable than 29 deg day in humid Brisbane.

Re: Weather difference in Australia?
 

This might help you. It's derived from the wikipedia entries and allows you to compare all the cities by eye on one screen (if your's is tall enough).

http://i.imgur.com/DxL4syM.png

Re: Weather difference in Australia?
 

Western Sydney - stinking hot, no air flow...
Further west - Blue Mountains - European style climate...

Pick your poison. ;)

Re: Weather difference in Australia?
 

Or, as we like to describe it:

Western Sydney - the furnaces of hell
Blue Mountains - pretty perfect (for NSW)

Re: Weather difference in Australia?
 

There are people who refuse to believe that I have had to lag pipes and scrape ice off the windscreen living about 40km away from Brisbane.

Minus 6 it was. Lovely during the day though, I love a Brisbane winter's day.

And in summer? Betty Swollocks. I suffer through summer, I am warm-blooded, not a bleeding lizard.

Re: Weather difference in Australia?
 

Of the four places you mention, I think Sydney is the most temperate. But, if hot weather/humidity bothers you, bear in mind Australia has heat waves most Summers. If you were thinking about a move to Australia, test a Summer first.

Imo, Winter is relatively mild in Sydney but it does get very cold in Melbourne.

Australian weather is extreme and I'm not a fan.

Re: Weather difference in Australia?
 

Indeed! The humidity only lasts 2-3 months max then it is lovely the rest of the year. :)

Re: Weather difference in Australia?
 

We arrived last May in Brisbane. Based purely on reviewing BOM climatic averages and own personal experience, spring is the best time of year as warm but not too hot, and decent sunshine hours.

Been horrible here the last few weeks, so waiting for an improvement (and some sun would be nice but not looking promising) :(

Re: Weather difference in Australia?
 

I love the Melbourne weather, we get warm spring and autumn, a hot summer which can be too hot on occasion to go out in and a cooler winter. It's not cold cold in winter though, never get frost in our part of Melbourne and it never snows. And in the winter we can drive to the snow in 2 hours up in the hills for tobogganning and skiing.

This year has been a very warm dry summer -today is only the 3rd day we have had any rain to speak of since New Year!

BB

Re: Weather difference in Australia?
 

Yeah, it will pass soon enough. Autumn, Winter and Spring are usually pretty awesome with a bit of rain. Winters nice and warmish - nothing close to freezing. I think 6 degrees C was the coldest I have felt so far early morning then it warms up nicely for the rest of the day. :thumbup:

Re: Weather difference in Australia?
 

You don't get the real extremes of temperature in Brisbane. Hardly ever above 35 in summer and hardly ever below freezing in winter - and even then it probably warm up to 20 during the day. All other capitals (except Darwin) usually have some 40 deg days in summer.

Weather events are more severe than the UK - rain (we had 2 feet of rain in 3 days last month), hail that can cause damage to cars and houses, fires, floods, dust storms, cyclones.

Re: Weather difference in Australia?
 

Melbourne averages 1 day a year over 40C and less than 10 over 35C. Sydney would have even less hot days. Sydney is probably the sweet spot although its often pretty humid.

Re: Weather difference in Australia?
 

Re: Weather difference in Australia?
 

You need to look to the original inhabitants of the land to really understand the weather in Australia, they documented the changing conditions for generations - The D'harawal calendar covers the Sydney area - http://www.bom.gov.au/iwk/dharawal/parradowee.shtml

Personally I would have 6 seasons broken up into equal 2 month periods that fit exactly into a calendar year.
Jan/Feb = Summer (warm or hot in various ways, wetter than Nov/Dec, can be humid, but not always)
Mar/Apr = Early Autumn (Can be warm dry Indian summer or cooler wetter, usually the wettest period)
May/Jun = Late Autumn (Getting cooler and still showery, still warm days possible)
Jul/Aug = Winter (The start of the dry half of the year, westerly winds dominate in Sydney with clear blue sky days and low humidity, can get very windy)
Sep/Oct = Spring (The big warm up into summer spring growth goes crazy, strong westerly wind still dominates in Sept, dry and low humidity)
Nov/Dec = Early Summer (Dry and getting hotter, peak of the bushfire season around Sydney, first hints of humidity rising around Christmas which is usually around the time the dry breaks).

You could simplify it further by saying Sydney has a wet six months -Jan to June, and then a dry six months Jul - Dec.

Re: Weather difference in Australia?
 

Good map! :thumbup:

Re: Weather difference in Australia?
 

Melbourne is a bit like Adelaide - a tad cooler in winter, and the weather patterns that come over from the West don't seem to last as long. It can get bloody hot in Melbourne but the fact is those really hot days go on for longer in Perth and Adelaide.

Speaking for Brisbane and Melbourne, I think it's because Brisbane has a narrower temp band and Melbourne dips to the teens in both summer and winter stuffs up the average. What is true is that Brisbane doesn't get to 35+ plus much but Melbourne can get to 40.

It depends on what you mean by cold. Cold enough for a fleece or a jacket, but its more often than not between 7-13(15) degrees which makes it one of the narrowest temp bands in the country. There are places in all capitals where the temps really drop.

I would ask people - do you hate humidity - think twice about Brisbane, and the tropics, and even Sydney - and do you hate grey days and winter style conditions - rule out Melbourne, Tassie, and to a lesser extent Adelaide.

Much of Australia has blue sky winters.

Re: Weather difference in Australia?
 

"Dry Days" report I prepared earlier that might add to the above :)

Note comments on the side are based on an Australian range of hot and cold, not British.


Annual Dry days Per Year (>= 1mm)

288 Brisbane - Annual Rainfall 1149
270 Adelaide - Annual Rainfall 622.1
265 Perth - Annual Rainfall 867.6
260 Sydney - Annual Rainfall 1084.4
255 Melbourne - Annual Rainfall 648.5

Summer Dry Days Per Month (Avg Min/Max Temps Celsius)

30 Perth (17.9 - 29.7) <---- Very dry summer
28 Adelaide (16.7 - 28.6) <---- Very dry summer
26 Melbourne (14.3 - 25.9) <---- Medium dry summer
23 Brisbane (20.7-29.4) <---- Humid with afternoon storms
23 Sydney (18.7-25.9) <---- Somewhat humid with afternoon storms

Winter Dry Days Per Month (Avg Min/Max Temps Celsius)

27 Brisbane (9.5-20.4) <---- Very dry, very warm winter
25 Sydney (8.0-16.3) <---- Very dry, warmish winter
21 Melbourne (6.0-13.4) <---- Wet, very cold winter
19 Adelaide (7.7 - 14.8) <---- Wet, cold winter
16 Perth (9.0-17.4) <---- Very wet, warmish winter

Note: Based on 100 yr averages at city centre reading stations (where available). Source: Australian Bureau of Meteorology
Note: Comments on right of temps mine so just best guesses based on the numbers

Re: Weather difference in Australia?
 

These are really insightful stats :). Personally love the Brisbane climate, especially the mild and sunny winter and spring seasons. Also the fact the temperatures are more stable with less day to day variation.

Not so fussed right now though with all these upper surface troughs and low weather systems pounding the state though (we are in the 'wet' season though).

Re: Weather difference in Australia?
 

Take note of this comment. Many comments on this site intimate that Melbourne is "very cold" or "cold" in winter. It is compared to Brisbane or Perth for instance, but compared to anywhere in the UK, it is very mild or even warm.

So many people rule Melbourne out because of a perception that it is cold. Yet many winters days I wear just a t-shirt..........

BB

Re: Weather difference in Australia?
 

Good point. :)

Re: Weather difference in Australia?
 

Also worth looking at things like - Brisbane house are largely designed for hot days - no insulation, no heating. A greater proportion of Tas and Vic houses are designed for colder weather :)

Re: Weather difference in Australia?
 

Well, all I can say is that it has been a very hot, long summer here in WA. It's over 30 here already and not even 6 am yet. It rained for about 3 minutes this morning - first rain we've seen here (northern suburbs of Perth) in what seems like months.

I really shouldn't complain. In 6 months I'll be bitching because it's +1 with horizontal rain and gale force winds.

I have said it before. I have never been so cold in my life than during a Perth winter. It's wet, windy and the houses have zero insulation. I spent my first 40+ years in Canada and have never been so cold.

Re: Weather difference in Australia?
 

If you look on page one, you'll see that Melbourne spreads its rain pretty evenly throughout the year. In Perth it dumps it all on you during the winter, and in Brisbane during the summer.

Upshot is in Brisbane its hot and humid during the summer, then you get drenched in a thunderstorm. In winter its dry, so you get clear days, and relatively cold nights.

In Perth its clear blue summer days, but those winters get cold at night and its dank and raining all the time.

Personally I think Melbourne is better. The summers can get very hot, but only for a few days. The winters get as cold as a UK spring (which isn't exactly cold in my book) and for a few months its dull. However, the changeability, I think, fits the Brit viewpoint on weather better. Sydney gets a little bit warmer, but it rains too much.

BTW Another way to get a feel for the quality of the climate is http://www.degreedays.net/ This provides you with 'degree days' - the time multiplied by the deviation from the base temp throughout the year. Put in something like 22C as the base, and run it for both heating and cooling. If you had, say, 12C for 24 hours, that would equal 10 degree days.

The bigger the deviation, the bigger the total number, the more time you will be hot or cold.

It also give you a clue as to how much money you will be paying in HVAC.

Re: Weather difference in Australia?
 

Whereas in some parts of Australia it is always dull! :D

BB

Re: Weather difference in Australia?
 

I wouldn't swap the winter in Sydney for any other area in Australia, you can't beat the crystal clear winter days you get associated with the dominant dry westerlies we get from June - late September.

What is better than being on the harbour with a crystal clear blue sky, temps around 17c - 20c and low humidity :thumbup:

On a clear day we can see the blue mountains as clear as anything from our house and that is a good 25/30 miles away!

Also if you are after some even colder weathe rit is easy to go up the mountains for a weekend :thumbup:

The worst weather in Sydney is February and March, wettest months and most humidy, although not as humid as Brisbane.

Wouldn't swap the climate in Sydney for any other area. Ok the western suburbs can get a bit hot and the souttherly changes can be brutal, espcially in early summer, but can't complain :thumbup:

Re: Weather difference in Australia?
 

:amen:

Re: Weather difference in Australia?
 

The driest of the capital cities is apparently Hobart. I didnt believe it myself until last week as every time i have been its rained. This time round though it hasnt really rained for 6 months and the ground is very very dry.

Re: Weather difference in Australia?
 

That would be because Hobart is sheltered from the roaring westerlies in the Southern Ocean. The mountains on the west coast of Tassie create a rain shadow and strip the moisture out before it reaches Hobart. The eastern side of Tassie can get VERY dry indeed.

Re: Weather difference in Australia?
 

Sir,If Ms Swollocks does inhabit your undergarments may i suggest a diet......Zero carbs should do the trick;)

Re: Weather difference in Australia?
 

And many aren't it would seem!

I noticed years ago that the heat goes off in Melbourne like a switch - it can happen in as early as April, or May...in other capitals, the milder conditions carry on for a bit longer.
There is a period of about 5 months where the temp never sees 20 degrees.

I quite like the onset of winter in Melbourne - wood fire etc...it's only August you have to really get through...I think the winter would seem long if you really HATE winter - for me it's the short winter days that make it drag. I think for most people that the Sydney winter would make up for the summer.

Get it!

Re: Weather difference in Australia?
 

Winter seems to drag on and on sometimes though through Sept and into Oct. Pretty sure the last few grand finals that I remember have been played on rainy 12-13C days.

Re: Weather difference in Australia?
 

True...my friend - but the temps do start to improve as do the daylight hours.
I find with September comes a bit of a motivation!

What this means is that people have to realise that it can be half the year of less than 20 degrees.....could you do that?
Syd, Perth and Bris all get to 20 ish (or sun) in winter, regularly.

Re: Weather difference in Australia?
 

In even the South of the UK there are 9 months of less than 20 degrees.

Melbourne is a significant improvement on that.

BB

Re: Weather difference in Australia?
 

Absolutely my friend. There in lies the situation - Melbourne - not as 'warm' as Sydney - but a fair bit warmer than the south (or North) of the UK.

And Melbourne is quite a bit hotter in summer than the UK.