Climate highlights and notable events
Australia
- Third-warmest year on record; mean temperature +1.14 °C
- Maximum temperatures particularly warm; second-warmest on record (+1.55 °C)
- Annual rainfall 11% below average at 412.8 mm
- Much of Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, and eastern South Australia affected by drought
- Pacific Ocean ENSO neutral most of the year; positive Indian Ocean Dipole in spring
- Sea surface temperature above average for the Australian region; very much warmer than average for the eastern half
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Northern Australia
- Tropical cyclone Joyce and intense monsoonal low isolate communities in the Top End and north of Western Australia, set January rainfall records in parts of the Top End
- Fourth-warmest spring on record for northern Australia
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Northern Territory
- Tropical cyclone Marcus (17 March) strongest to cross Darwin since Tracy in December 1974
- Dry season (May–September) fifth-driest on record for Northern Territory
- Annual maximum temperature second-warmest on record for Northern Territory
- Annual maximum temperature third-warmest on record for Darwin
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Queensland
- Extreme heatwave late November–early December; many fires along the east coast
- Fifth-warmest year on record for Queensland
- Annual maximum temperature fourth-warmest on record for Brisbane
- Tropical cyclone Owen brings very heavy rain to the eastern Peninsula in December
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New South Wales
- Warmest year on record for New South Wales
- Annual rainfall sixth-lowest on record for New South Wales
- Annual maximum temperature fifth-warmest on record for Sydney
- Significant Bega Valley fire on the south coast in August and September
- December thunderstorms with giant hail in Sydney and on the Central Coast
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Southern Australia
- Very dry southern wet season; autumn rainfall second-lowest on record for southern Australia, and September driest on record
- Summer-like heat during the first half of April set many records across southern Australia
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Southeastern Australia
- December storms with flash flooding in northern Victoria, Melbourne, and Sydney, which also had damaging giant hail
- January–September rainfall exceptionally low over the mainland southeast
- January heatwaves across the southeast; including 47.3 °C at Penrith on the 27th
- Fires in mid-March; southwest Victoria and at Tathra in south coast New South Wales
- September frosts damage grain crops in Victoria and South Australia
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Tasman Sea
- Record-warm sea surface temperatures for the Tasman Sea from late 2017 to early 2018; January area average SST anomaly +1.66 °C (0.64 °C above previous record, set in 1935)
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Tasmania
- Thunderstorms over southeastern Tasmania in mid-May led to severe flash flooding in areas including Hobart
- Fifth-warmest year on record for Tasmania
- Second-warmest year on record for Hobart
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Victoria
- Third-warmest year on record for Victoria
- Annual rainfall twelveth-lowest on record for Victoria
- Annual rainfall very much below average for Melbourne
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South Australia
- Fourth-warmest year on record for South Australia
- Sixth-warmest year on record for Adelaide
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Western Australia
- Tenth-wettest summer (2017–18) on record for Western Australia
- Tropical cyclone Kelvin caused flooding around Broome during February
- Autumn rainfall seventh-lowest on record for South West Western Australia
- Annual maximum temperature fourth-warmest on record for Western Australia
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Northwestern Australia
- Late December heatwave; extreme temperatures affecting very large areas, from northwest Australia into the inland southeast, including 49.3 °C at Marble Bar
Select dots for regional details