Australia in July 2022

In brief

• July rainfall was 2.5% above average for Australia as a whole.

• Rainfall was very much above average for the north-eastern thirds of both Queensland and Northern Territory. For Queensland, area-average rainfall for July was among the highest on record compared to all years since 1900.

• Rainfall for July was below average for most of Western Australia, southern Northern Territory, all of South Australia, large parts of New South Wales, all of Victoria and all of Tasmania. Rainfall was very much below average for large parts of South Australia, for southern inland parts of New South Wales, for around half of Victoria and almost all of Tasmania. For Tasmania and South Australia, area-average rainfall for July was among the lowest on record compared to all years since 1900.
• Australia's national area-average mean temperature was 0.16 °C below average for July.
• Area-average maximum temperature for July was 0.22 °C above average nationally, and above average in all states except Queensland and Northern Territory.

• Area-average minimum temperature for July was 0.55 °C below average nationally, and below average in all states except Queensland and New South Wales. For Northern Territory, area-average minimum temperature for July was the 5th lowest on record compared with all years since 1900.

   

Temperatures

The national mean temperature for July was 0.16 °C cooler than the 1961–1990 average for Australia as a whole.

The national mean maximum temperature for July was 0.22 °C warmer than average, and the national mean minimum temperature 0.55 °C cooler than average.

Mean maximum temperatures for July were cooler than average for the northern two thirds of the Northern Territory, all of Queensland except for Cape York and inland parts of the Kimberley. July maximum temperatures were also cooler than average in the Western Districts of New South Wales, for around half of South Australia, from the North East Pastoral District down to the Lower South East and Lower Eyre Peninsula and along the New South Wales coast everywhere south of the Hunter, along to Victoria's East Gippsland.

Mean maximum temperatures for July were very much below average across a swathe of the Northern Territory and Queensland, including the Daly, Carpentaria and Barkly Districts and most of Queensland outside of Cape York and the Channel country.

Mean maximum temperatures for July were the lowest on record for parts of the Victoria River District of the Northern Territory and for parts of Queensland's Central Highlands and Coalfields District.

Mean maximum temperatures for July were warmer or very much warmer than average for the northern tip of Queensland's Cape York Peninsula; central and north east Victoria; the Riverina District of New South Wales, and southern Western Australia.

Mean minimum temperatures for July were warmer or very much warmer than average for coastal New South Wales, East Gippsland in Victoria, the northern tip of Cape York in Queensland, and for parts of the Goldfields, Gascoigne and Central West districts of Western Australia.

Mean minimum temperatures for July were cooler or very much cooler than average for north-eastern Tasmania, most of Victoria outside of East Gippsland and the south-west, the Riverina and Western Districts of New South Wales, most of South Australia , almost all of the Northern Territory; northern Western Australia and for a band of central Queensland. For the Northern Territory the mean minimum temperature for July was the 5th lowest on record and 2.0 °C degrees below average. The daily minimum temperature at Darwin was below 20.0 °C for each day of July.

Across northern Australia, records were set for lowest monthly minimum temperature, including 10.3 °C at Kununurra (lowest from previous years for any month was 11.3 °C for June 2011 from 37 years of observations).

Rank ranges from 1 (lowest) to 113 (highest). A rank marked with ’=‘ indicates the value is tied for that rank. Anomaly is the departure from the long-term (1961–1990) average.

Rainfall

June rainfall was 2.5% above the 1961–1990 average for Australia as a whole.

For New South Wales, in the first days of July an East Coast Low brought significant rain and flooding to coastal areas from the Illawarra to the Mid North Coast. In those parts of New South Wales, area-average rainfall for July was the highest on record.

Rainfall was very much above average for the north-eastern thirds of both Queensland and the Northern Territory, except for the northern Arnhem District where rainfall was average for July.

Large areas of tropical northern Australia typically receive less than 25 mm of rainfall in total for the dry season (May to September). Monthly records were set at many Queensland locations, including 230.6 mm at Kuranda (previous July record 213.0 mm in 1969 from 126 years of observation), 290.1 mm at Seventeen Seventy (previous July record 129.5 mm in 1993 from 35 years of observation).

Monthly records were also set for flood affected parts of New South Wales from the Illawarra to the Mid North Coast, including 638.8 mm at Kangaroo Valley (previous July record 558.3 mm in 1922 from 97 year of observation), 875.0 mm at Darkes Forest (previous July record 566.6 mm in 1900 from 124 years of observations), 644.3 mm at Lucas Heights (previous July record 198.1 mm in 1975 from 64 years of observations; previous record for any month 567.2 mm in March 2022), 326.6 mm at Williamtown (previous July record 242.6 mm in 2020 from 74 years of observation) and 280.2 mm at Upper Pappinbarra (previous July record 196.6 mm in 1965 from 36 years of observation).

Rainfall for July was very much below average for a large area around Surveyor-General's corner and into the Gibson Desert of Western Australia, the agricultural south-eastern third of South Australia, for the Lower Western and Riverina districts of New South Wales, for the Mallee, Northern Country, South West and South Gippsland districts of Victoria and almost all of Tasmania.

Rainfall for July was below average for most of Western Australia south of the Kimberley, for the Alice Springs District of the Northern Territory, almost all of South Australia, the south-western half of New South Wales, almost all of Victoria apart from East Gippsland and all of Tasmania.

For Tasmania and South Australia, area-average rainfall for July was among the lowest on record compared to all years since 1900.

In Western Australia, rainfall in July was around average in the Kimberley but below average most other places. For parts of Southern Interior, South West and South Coastal Districts, rainfall was very much below average.

Significant weather

From 4 July, an East Coast Low brought several days of very heavy rain around Sydney that resulted in major flooding of the Hawkesbury-Nepean River and extended along the New South Wales coast. A natural disaster was declared for New South Wales following the flooding from heavy rainfall. Numerous locations set new daily July rainfall records.

Most records were set around coastal parts from Illawarra to the Mid North Coast, including 298.0 mm during the 24 hours to 9am on 3 July at Darkes Forest in the Illawarra (previous July record 247.2 mm on 4 July 1975 from 126 years of observations) and 234.0 mm at Audley in Sydney (previous July record 108.0 mm on 27 July 2020 from 39 years of observations). Several stations in New South Wales set records for annual highest daily rainfall, including 247.2 mm at Lucas Heights in Sydney (previous annual daily record 232.6 mm on 11 June 1991 from 65 years of data) and 193.0 mm at Campbelltown in Sydney (previous annual daily record 156.0 mm on 8 March 2022 from 43 years of data).

On 4 and 5 July 2022, many sites along the Queensland coast recorded their lowest daily maximum temperature on record, including 16.2 °C at South Johnstone on 5 July 2022 (previous annual record 16.8 °C on 17 August 1968 from 57 years of observations), 16.0 °C at Cardwell on 5 July 2022 (previous annual record 16.7 °C on 25 June 1971 from 65 years of observations), 13.2 °C at Mackay on 5 July 2022 (previous annual record 13.3 °C on 21 June 2007 from 37 years of observations) and 12.2 °C on 4 July 2022 at Seventeen Seventy (previous annual record 12.2 °C on 7 August 1995 from 35 years of observations).

At the same time, a number of stations across northern Australia set records for daily rainfall totals for July, including 75.2 mm during the 24 hours to 9am on 5 July at Cairns Aero, Queensland (previous July record 38.2 mm on 10 July 2012, from 80 years of observations).

These conditions were due to an upper trough over south-eastern Queensland and associated rain band. A surface trough extended over the Coral Sea and northern Tasman Sea into a low near the northern New South Wales coast. The trough and low then moved east. A high moved into the Great Australian Bight and extended a ridge over most of Queensland, which maintained a cool southerly air flow over southern Queensland.

Across northern and inland Australia a number of stations set records for their lowest daily minimum temperature on record for July early in the month, including 6.0 °C on both 8 and 12 July 2022 at Kununurra (previous annual record was 6.1 °C on 15 August 2018 from 37 years of observations), –5.0 °C at Kulgera on 4 July 2022 in central Australia (previous annual record was –4.8 °C on 7 July 2012 from 40 years of observations).

A high pressure system near Tasmania directed cool south-easterly winds across inland Australia on 5 July 2022. The high moved into the Tasman Sea. However, a weaker high pressure system then moved across the Southern Ocean, south of the Bight, and maintained cool temperatures across the interior.

By mid-July, Darwin experienced its longest run of days below 30 °C since 2012 (12 days) and Alice Springs experienced 12 consecutive nights with minimum temperatures below 0 °C.  Snow fell on the hills around Hobart, with snow flurries visible at near sea level.  

On 22 July, another East Coast Low brought significant rainfall, this time to the southern Queensland coast. In the 24 hours to 9am on 22 July 2022, several stations set records for daily rainfall totals for July, including 144.8 mm at Seventeen Seventy (previous July record 80.0 mm on 11 July 1993, from 36 years of observations) and 78.6 mm at Mackay (previous July record 64.6 mm on 16 July 2016, from 37 years of observations).

Further discussion and tables of records for each state and the Northern Territory can be found in the individual regional climate summaries, to be released on 3 August 2022.

Rank ranges from 1 (lowest) to 123 (highest). A rank marked with ’=‘ indicates the value is tied for that rank. Departure from mean is relative to the long-term (1961–1990) average.