Climate summary and notable events
Australia
- National annual mean temperature was 0.98 °C above the 1961-1990 average, the equal eighth-warmest year on record
- Average national rainfall was 1.6% above the 1961-1990 average
- August to October was Australia's driest three-month period since records began in 1900
- Surface water storages remained high, despite decreasing during the year
- Record warmth in the global oceans, record warmth for combined land and ocean temperatures and a large reduction in annual sea ice around Antarctica
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Western Australia
- Rainfall in 2023 was 2.8% below average for Western Australia overall
- Annual mean temperature for Western Australia was 1.03 °C above the 1961–1990 average, the state's sixth-warmest on record
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Northern Territory
- Rainfall was 14.8% above average for the Northern Territory overall, the highest rainfall since 2017
- The annual mean temperature for the Northern Temperature was 0.36 ˚C above the 1961–1990 average, the coolest year since 2012
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Coral Sea and Tasman Sea
- For the Coral Sea, mean annual sea surface temperatures were 0.61 °C above the 1961–1990 annual average and mean sea surface temperatures in the Tasman Sea for 2023 were the seventh-warmest on record, at 0.77 °C above the 1961–1990 average
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Queensland
- Rainfall was 11.7% above average for Queensland overall
- The annual mean temperature for Queensland was 1.17 °C above the 1961–1990 annual average, the tenth-warmest year since records began in 1910
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Victoria
- Rainfall was 5.3% below average for Victoria overall
- The annual mean temperature for Victoria was 0.69 °C above the 1961–1990 annual average, the warmest year since 2019
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New South Wales and the ACT
- Rainfall was 22.9% below average for New South Wales overall
- The annual mean temperature for New South Wales was 1.30 °C above the 1961–1990 annual average, the sixth-warmest year since records began in 1910
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Tasmania
- Rainfall was 11.5% below average for Tasmania overall, the lowest rainfall since 2017
- The annual mean temperature for Tasmania was 0.81 °C above the 1961–1990 annual average, the third-warmest year on record and the highest since 2016
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South Australia
- Rainfall was 12.5% below average for South Australia overall
- The annual mean temperature was 1.15 °C above the 1961–1990 annual average, the equal seventh-warmest since records began in 1910
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