Australia in Autumn 2026

In brief

• Australia's area-averaged mean temperature for autumn was 0.67 °C above the 1961–1990 average.
• Tasmania, Victoria and New South Wales were in their top 10 warmest autumns on record since 1910.
• Australia's area-averaged mean maximum temperature for autumn was 0.55 °C above the 1961–1990 average.
• Mean maximum temperatures were above average across much of the east of the country and parts of the west, and below average in parts of the northern interior.
• Australia's area-averaged mean minimum temperature for autumn was 0.79 °C above the 1961–1990 average.\
• Mean minimum temperatures were above average across Tasmania and much of the mainland.
• Unusually warm conditions persisted across the south-east of the country from late April into May, with many stations in the region setting May daily temperature records.
• The national area-averaged rainfall total for autumn was 25% above the 1961–1990 average.
• Autumn rainfall was above average for most of central Australia, extending into eastern states, and below average for Tasmania, south-west Western Australia, and pockets of the eastern mainland.
• Widespread flooding associated with tropical activity affected large areas of northern and central Australia several times during March.

Temperatures

Australia's national area-averaged mean temperature for autumn was 0.67 °C above the 1961–1990 average.

The national area-averaged mean temperatures for March, April and May were 0.38 °C, 1.14 °C and 0.50 °C above average, respectively.

Tasmania, Victoria and New South Wales all recorded one of their top-10 warmest autumns on record since 1910 when national observations began.

Australia's mean maximum temperature for autumn was 0.55 °C above average, and the mean minimum temperature was 0.79 °C above average.

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

• Tasmania and Victoria, and almost all of New South Wales
• southern and central coast areas of Queensland and the north of Cape York Peninsula
• south-eastern South Australia
• inland areas of the Pilbara and Gascoyne regions and parts of the south-east of Western Australia.

Mean maximum temperatures were below average for:

• much of the Northern Territory, except for the Top End, extending into areas in adjoining states
• a strip along the Pilbara and Gascoyne coasts in Western Australia.

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

• Tasmania, Victoria
• southern Queensland, and parts of the tropical north coast and Cape York Peninsula
• parts of the north and south of the Northern Territory
• most of the Pilbara and Gascoyne regions and the interior of Western Australia.

Mean minimum temperatures were below average in pockets of central and northern Queensland, the Northern Territory, and parts of the Kimberley region in Western Australia.

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 autumn was 25% above the 1961–1990 average.

Nationally, March was the seventh-wettest on record (since 1900), April rainfall was below average, and May rainfall was close to average.

Autumn rainfall was above average to very much above average (in the wettest 10% of all autumns since 1900) for:

• the Northern Territory and South Australia
• most of Victoria north of the Dividing Range
• western New South Wales extending into the Riverina
• western, northern and parts of central Queensland
• parts of the Kimberley region in Western Australia, around the Dampier Peninsula, and the south-east of the state.

Autumn rainfall was highest on record for parts of:

• the Daly River catchment in the Top End of the Northern Territory
• Lake Eyre Basin (the catchment for Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre) in South Australia.

South Australia and the Northern Territory overall had their fourth- and seventh-wettest autumns on record, respectively.

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

• areas in the west and south-west of Western Australia
• parts of north-eastern New South Wales and southern Queensland
• most of Tasmania
• pockets of Victoria south of the Dividing Range, extending into south-eastern South Australia.

Significant weather and records

Tropical systems brought widespread heavy rainfall and flooding to parts of northern and central Australia several times during March. Many sites in the Top End of the Northern Territory and the mid-north of South Australia had their highest daily or monthly March rainfall on record.

Slow moving high-pressure systems brought settled, dry and unusually warm conditions to the south-east during late April and into May. The weather patterns contributed to New South Wales experiencing its second driest April on record.

At the start of May, hot air from the interior was pushed to the south-east ahead of a cold front. Many sites in the region set May daily temperature records on the 1st or 2nd.

Towards the end of May, north-west cloud bands and a complex series of low pressure systems brought widespread rainfall to central and eastern Australia.

Further information

Details of significant weather during March, April and May are in the National monthly climate summaries.

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.