Australia in May 2026

In brief

• Australia's area-averaged mean temperature in May was 0.50 °C above the 1961–1990 average.
• Tasmania, Victoria and New South Wales had their respective second-warmest May on record since 1910.
• Australia's area-averaged mean maximum temperature in May was 0.26 °C above the 1961–1990 average.
• Mean maximum temperatures were above average along the west and east coasts, including warmest on record across Tasmania, and below average for much of the interior.
• Australia's area-averaged mean minimum temperature in May was 0.73 °C above the 1961–1990 average.
• Mean minimum temperatures were above average across the south-east, extending into northern areas of the country, and below average for parts of the south-west.
• At the start of May, hot air ahead of a cold front was pushed towards the south-east of the country, with many stations in the region setting May daily temperature records.
• Australia's area-averaged rainfall total in May was 4% below the 1961–1990 average.
• May rainfall was above average in a large band extending from the north-west across central Australia to New South Wales and southern Queensland, and below average for much of the west coast of Western Australia, northern coastal Queensland and some western-facing coastal areas in the south-east.
• A complex series of low pressure troughs in late May generated widespread heavy rain for much of central and eastern Australia.

Temperatures

Australia's national area-averaged mean temperature in May was 0.50 °C above the 1961–1990 average.

Tasmania, Victoria and New South Wales overall were all their respective second-warmest May on record, since 1910 when national observations began.

Australia's area-averaged mean maximum temperature in May was 0.26 °C above average, and the mean minimum temperature was 0.73 °C above average.

May mean maximum temperatures were above average to very much above average (in the highest 10% of all Mays since 1910) for:

• Tasmania, with almost all of the state having highest on record May mean maximum temperatures
• Victoria, most of New South Wales except for the north-west, and south-eastern South Australia
• Southern and eastern coastal areas of Queensland
• parts of the west coast of Western Australia and the Northern Territory's Top End.

Mean maximum temperatures were below average for much of the interior including:

• most of the Northern Territory apart from the Top End
• large parts of the Western Australia
• parts of north-western South Australia and western Queensland.

Mean minimum temperatures were above average to very much above average for:

• Tasmania, Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia
• southern areas of Queensland and much of the Northern Territory
• parts of the north-west and south-east of Western Australia.

Mean minimum temperatures were below average for much of the south-west of Western Australia and in isolated pockets of central and northern Queensland.

Rank ranges from 1 (lowest) to 117 (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

Australia's national area-averaged rainfall total for May was 4% below the 1961–1990 average.

May rainfall was above average to very much above average (in the wettest 10% of all Mays since 1900) in a band across the country covering:

• most of New South Wales, extending into north-western Victoria
• western and southern Queensland
• eastern Tasmania
• much of South Australia except for the south-east and north-west
• much of the Northern Territory and the eastern Kimberley region of Western Australia.

Rainfall was below average to very much below average (in the driest 10% of all Mays since 1900) for:

• most of the west coast of Western Australia
• most of the east coast of Queensland
• western Tasmania and the south-east coast of South Australia.

Significant weather and records

Unusually warm across the south-east

Slow moving high pressure systems across south-eastern Australia that brought dry and warm conditions in the second half of April continued into May. On the 1st and 2nd maximum temperatures were 8 to 12 °C above average as hot air from the interior was pushed over the south-east ahead of a cold front. Tasmania and Victoria had their hottest May days on record on the 1st, averaging 21.6 °C and 26.7 °C respectively, exceeding their previous records by around 1 °C. A large number of sites had their warmest May day on record, most notably:

• 27.5 °C at Hobart Airport on the 1st (79 years of composite data), second-highest temperature ever recorded in Tasmania in May
• 26.9 °C at Hobart (Ellerslie Road) on the 1st (temperature records began in 1882)
• 29.3 °C at Avalon Airport (32 years of data), equal highest May temperature in Victoria since 1985
• 28.1 °C at Moorabbin Airport in the 1st (55 years of data).

Minimum temperatures between the 1st and the 3rd were 4 to 10 °C above average for large parts of the south-east. Many sites had their highest May minimum temperatures on record, including:

• 19.2 °C at Maatsuyker Island Lighthouse on the 2nd (70 years of data), a new Tasmanian record for May, previously 18.7 °C at Flinders Island Airport on 6 May 2025
• 17.9 °C at King Island Airport on the 2nd (69 years of composite data)
• 20.4 °C at Cape Otway Lighthouse on the 2nd (162 years of data), second-highest minimum temperature ever recorded in Victoria in May
• 19.1 °C at Melbourne (Olympic Park) on the 3rd (composite temperature records began in 1859).

Cold fronts across the south-east

Cold fronts crossed over south-eastern Australia on 3 and 6 May, bringing cooler temperatures, strong winds and light to moderate rainfall. For the week of 4 to 10 May, rainfall totals between 10 and 50 mm were recorded across Tasmania and southern, central and eastern parts of Victoria, with falls greater than 50 mm in western Tasmania and in central Victoria. Cold south-westerly airflow after the second cold front on the 6th, brought snow to alpine regions in Tasmania, Victoria and New South Wales. Up to 5 cm was observed in Perisher Valley and light snow was reported in Marysville. Maximum temperatures on the 7th were 2 to 8 °C below average, and two sites in Victoria had their lowest May minimum temperature on record on the 7th.

An intense high pressure system in the Bight

Between 11 and 16 May, an intense high pressure system moved across the Great Australia Bight and into Tasman Sea. On the 12th, mean sea level pressure (MSLP) over the south-east approached 1040 hPa over Tasmania, with some sites setting monthly records. Maximum temperatures over the south east were generally 4 to 6 °C above average during this period. However, the clear skies and settled conditions meant that minimum temperatures were mostly within 2 °C of the monthly average.

Northwest cloudband across northern Australia

Between 15 and 19 May, an upper level trough combined with moist easterly flow to produce a north-west cloud band that stretched from the north-west coast of Western Australia across the Northern Territory and into western areas of Queensland and New South Wales. The system brought several days of rainfall to parts of northern, central and southern Australia as it moved eastwards. Unseasonable daily rainfall totals of 25 to 50 mm were recorded on the 17th and 18th in the south of the Northern Territory and in western Queensland, where the average May rainfall is 10 to 25 mm. Unseasonable showers and storms also developed in the eastern Kimberley region in Western Australia, with daily rainfall totals, to 9 am on the 18th, of 25 to 50 mm.

Rain extended southwards from the 17th to the 19th into central New South Wales, eastern South Australia and northern Victoria, as the system joined up with an approaching cold front. Daily rainfall totals of 10 to 50 mm were recorded across these regions, with several sites having their highest May daily rainfall on record, including:

• 45.4 mm at Renmark Aero (South Australia) to 9 am on the 17th (31 years of data)
• 39.2 mm at Walpeup Research (Victoria) to 9 am on the 17th (87 years of data)
• 53.8 mm at Gunnedah Airport (New South Wales) to 9 am on the 19th (25 years of data)
• 66.8 mm at Weabonga (Stoneleigh) (New South Wales) to 9 am on the 19th (99 years of data).

Coastal trough off south-eastern Queensland

On 18 and 19 May a coastal trough off south-eastern Queensland combined with an upper level trough to direct onshore moist easterly flow. This resulted in widespread rainfall along the northern New South Wales and south-eastern Queensland coasts with 2-day rainfall totals, to 9 am on the 19th, of 50 to 150 mm, and locally higher.

The heaviest falls occurred around the New South Wales and Queensland border on the evening of the 18th. Up to 120 mm of rain fell in 6 hours in the Gold Coast hinterland, an Annual Exceedance Probability (AEP) of just above 10%. The highest daily rainfall total, to 9 am on 19 May, was 191.0 mm at Springbrook National Park and many other rain gauges in the area recorded daily totals over 150 mm.

The heavy rainfall on the 18th led to several minor to moderate flood warnings including for the Pimpama, Nerang and Coomera rivers in south-eastern Queensland and the Wilson River at Lismore.

Cold nights in southern Western Australia

Between 23 and 25 May, a high pressure system centred over southern Western Australia produced clear skies and light winds. The settled and dry conditions brought several cold nights, with minimum temperatures 6 to 10 °C below average on the 23rd and 24th, and dropping below 0 °C in inland areas of the south-west. The coldest temperature recorded was -3.2 °C at Wandering on the 24th, the station's 2nd lowest May minimum temperature on record (28 years of data). Perth Metro recorded a minimum 2.5 °C on the 24th, its coldest May temperature since 2019.

Heavy rain in eastern Tasmania

On 27 May, a low pressure system moved through Bass Strait and over north-eastern Tasmania. This interacted with very moist air dragged southwards by a low pressure trough over the mainland. Onshore easterly winds generated widespread rainfall along the east coast of the state, with daily rainfall totals, to 9am on the 28th, over 15 mm across most of the state.

The heaviest rainfall occurred in elevated regions in the north-east of the state and around Hobart. Gray (Dalmayne Rd) recorded 222.0 mm on the 28th, the fourth-highest daily rainfall total ever recorded in Tasmania in May. Moderate to minor Flood Warnings were issued for the St Pauls and South Esk rivers. Kunanyi / Mount Wellington recorded 134.6 mm, its second-highest May daily rainfall, behind only 11 May 2018 with 236.2 mm.

Widespread rainfall over eastern Australia

Between 25 and 30 May a complex series of low pressure troughs interacted with moist tropical air over eastern Australia. These moved slowly eastwards, as a high pressure system blocked movement to the south. The systems brought widespread rain, showers and storms to much of eastern New South Wales, southern Queensland, Tasmania and in parts of South Australia and Victoria. This included parts of north-eastern New South Wales and southern Queensland with below average rainfall over the previous 12 months, including serious to severe rainfall deficiencies (in the lowest 10% or 5% of all years since 1900) since January 2026. 6-day rainfall totals, to 9 am on 30 May, of 10 to 100 mm were recorded across the region, with locally higher totals along the New South Wales Mid North Coast and eastern Tasmania.

Thunderstorms along the New South Wales central and northern Tablelands resulted in several sites having their highest May daily rainfall on record, including:

• 59.4 mm at Dubbo Airport AWS to 9am on the 26th (32 years of data)
• 63.0 mm at Moree Aero to 9am on the 28th (32 years of data)
• 85.6 mm at Pallamallawa Post Office to 9am on the 28th (114 years of data).

At Dubbo Airport, 80.6 mm of rain fell in the 12 hours from 1 am to 1 pm on the 26th, an Annual Exceedance Probability (AEP) of less than 10%. The resulting 2-day total, to 9 am on the 27th, of 85.6 mm is the highest in May for the combined Dubbo record, with observations at the Post Office starting in 1870.

Combined with rain from earlier in the month, a number of sites had their highest May monthly rainfall on record, including:

• 124.8 mm at Renmark Aero (South Australia), also the fifth highest total for any month in the combined Renmark record (starting in 1889)
• 102.0 mm at Forbes Airport AWS (New South Wales) (30 years of data)
• 128.0 at Narrabri Airport AWS (New South Wales) (24 years of data)
• 81.0 mm at Tanbar Station (south-western Queensland) (106 years of data).

Minor flooding occurred in several catchments along the New South Wales Mid North Coast, including the Hastings, Myall, Manning and Gloucester rivers.

Destructive winds over south-west Western Australia

On 30 and 31 May an unusually strong cold front, associated with a deep low pressure system, crossed south-west Western Australia. This brought light to moderate rainfall, unseasonable thunderstorms and damaging to destructive winds. Daily rainfall totals, to 9 am on 31 May, of 10 to 50 mm were recorded across the south-west from Geraldton to Albany. The lowest observed Mean Sea Level Pressure (MSLP) was 984.7 hPa at Cape Leeuwin. This was slightly lower than on 1 August 2022, but well above 25 May 2020 (977.5 hPa).  Wind gusts over 80 km/h were recorded at many locations across the south-west, with two sites in metropolitan Perth experiencing gusts over 100 km/h. The strongest winds were recorded at exposed coastal locations, including:

• 135 km/h at Cape Naturaliste, annual record is 146 km/h (25 years of data)
• 133 km/h at Cape Leeuwin, annual record is 152 km/h (37 years of data)
• 120 km/h at Busselton Jetty, annual record is 124 km/h (23 years of data)
• 106 km/h at Garden Island HSF, annual record is 130 km/h (24 years of data).

The system generated very rough seas, and a storm surge at high tide caused coastal flooding in some areas. The damaging to destructive winds left thousands of homes without power from downed power lines, with reports of fallen trees and damage to some buildings, and resulted in the cancellation of some events over the public holiday long weekend.

Further information

A summary and tables of records for each state and Territory are available in the individual regional climate summaries, issued on 4 June 2026.

Rank ranges from 1 (lowest) to 127 (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.