Australia in summer 2022–23

In brief

• Summer rainfall was 27% above average for Australia as a whole.
• While summer rainfall was above average for most of northern Australia, large areas in the south-west, Tasmania, Victoria, eastern and northern New South Wales and the south-eastern quarter of Queensland had a drier than average summer.
• Significant flooding affected large areas of northern Australia during summer associated with tropical systems, while flooding continued to affect parts of the Murray and Darling rivers in western New South Wales and South Australia following on from extensive flooding across the Basin during spring.
• The national mean temperature for summer was 0.07 °C above the 1961–1990 average.
• The area-averaged national mean maximum temperature was 0.04 °C above average, while the national mean minimum temperature was 0.09 °C above average.
• Area-average maximum temperatures were warmer than average in Tasmania, western to central Western Australia, and large parts of South Australia; they were cooler than average across most of the Northern Territory and most of Queensland.
• Nights were cooler than average in much of New South Wales, in large parts of central and eastern Queensland, much of the Northern Territory, and in parts of the Kimberley. Mean minimum temperatures were warmer than average for parts of the far northern tropics, north-western to south-eastern Western Australia, large parts of South Australia, southern Victoria, and Tasmania.

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 March. For discussion of events during summer, see the individual monthly climate summaries for Australia for December, January, and February.

Temperatures

The national mean temperature for summer was 0.07 °C above the 1961–1990 average.

The area-averaged national mean maximum temperature was 0.04 °C above average, while the national mean minimum temperature was 0.09 °C above average.

Mean maximum temperatures were below or very much below average across much of Queensland away from the south, most of the Northern Territory excluding the Top End, and for part of the inland eastern Kimberley, but above to very much above average for western to central Western Australia, parts of pastoral South Australia, and for Tasmania.

Mean minimum temperatures for summer were below average for much of New South Wales and eastern to central northern Queensland, the central Northern Territory, and extending across much of the Kimberley. Mean minimum temperatures for summer were above average for parts of the far northern tropics from the Kimberley, through the Top End, to Cape York Peninsula; they were also above or very much above average in Western Australia from the Pilbara to the south-east, across western and northern South Australia and adjacent parts of Queensland's Channel Country, for Tasmania, and southern Victoria.

A cold outbreak at the start of summer saw a small number of coastal stations in Queensland observe their coolest summer daily maximum temperature on record on 1 December, but mostly at locations with less than 30 years of observations. For summer as a whole, a few stations in Queensland went on to observe their lowest mean minimum temperature, or lowest mean maximum temperature, or their lowest in at least 20 years at several other stations.

A large number of stations across central and eastern New South Wales had their lowest mean minimum temperature for summer as a whole.

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

Summer rainfall was 27% above the 1961–1990 average for Australia as a whole.

While summer rainfall was above or very much above average for most of northern Australia, large areas in the south-west, Tasmania, Victoria, eastern and northern New South Wales and the south-eastern quarter of Queensland had a drier than average summer. For the Murray–Darling Basin as a whole, summer rainfall was the lowest since summer 2018–2019.

Significant flooding affected large areas of northern Australia during summer associated with tropical systems, while flooding continued to affect parts of the Murray and Darling rivers in western New South Wales and South Australia following on from extensive flooding across the Basin during summer.

Ex-tropical cyclone Ellie brought heavy rainfall and flooding to northern areas of Western Australia, the Northern Territory and Queensland during late December and early January, contributing to above average summer rainfall in these areas, causing significant flooding of the Fitzroy River, and substantial damage to transport infrastructure.

Total rainfall for summer was the highest on record for several stations in Queensland, while some stations had their highest total rainfall in at least 20 years.  

For the northern Australian wet season to date (i.e. 5-month rainfall for October to February, the complete wet season is October to April), rainfall has been the highest on record at numerous stations across northern Australia, from the Kimberley through the central Northern Territory and across the northern half of Queensland; a larger number have had their highest total for at least 20 years.

Significant weather and records

For discussion of events during summer, see the individual monthly climate summaries for Australia for December, January, and February.

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 March.

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.