Issued 9 December 2025

Introduction

This statement provides a summary of Australia's climate and water data from 1 January to 30 November 2025. While the rest of December is yet to come, the statement provides an early indication of Australia's annual mean temperature, rainfall, sea surface temperatures and status of water resources for 2025.

Temperature

Overall, for January to November:

• The mean temperature was 1.25 °C above the 1961–1990 average, the fourth-warmest on record since 1910.
• The mean maximum temperature was 1.50 °C above average, the third-warmest on record since 1910.
• The mean minimum temperature was 0.99 °C above average, the eighth-warmest on record since 1910.

The national mean, maximum and minimum temperatures for January to November were above to very much above average (warmest 10% of all years since 1910) for nearly all of Australia.

Warm conditions were widespread and persistent in 2025. The mean national temperature for all months was above the 1961–1990 average, with the mean national temperature for January–March and October in the top 5 warmest on record for their respective months.

Summer 2024–25 was the second-warmest on record and March was the warmest on record.

Throughout autumn, frequent high pressure systems dominated conditions in southern Australia and led to the warmest autumn daytime temperatures on record for Victoria and Tasmania.

Mean minimum temperatures in winter were below average for large parts of the country, as clear skies and cold nights led to many stations in Queensland and the Northern Territory recording their lowest on record monthly minimum temperature in either June or August.

In October and November, low-intensity to severe heatwave conditions impacted northern, central and eastern parts of the country.

Rainfall

The national January to November rainfall total was 4% above the 1961–1990 average. However, the rainfall was not evenly distributed across the country.

Rainfall was below to very much below average (lowest 10% of all January to Novembers since 1900) for:

• Tasmania
• Victoria
• large areas of South Australia
• large areas of New South Wales
• western and inland parts of Western Australia.

Rainfall was above to very much above average (wettest 10% of all January to Novembers since 1900) for:

• large parts of Queensland
• coastal New South Wales
• large parts in the north and isolated areas in the south-west of Western Australia
• scattered areas of the Northern Territory.

Rainfall was the highest on record for:

• coastal areas of the Queensland North Tropical Coast around Townsville
• an area of the Hunter district in New South Wales.

In January, large areas of the country had below average rainfall, as the monsoon onset was delayed over the north.

There were several months of heavy rainfall across Queensland from February to April, with the state recording its second-wettest March on record. Many stations in Queensland had their highest on record monthly rainfall during this period, some with more than 100 years of data. This wet period, due to tropical systems leading to heavy rainfall, resulted in widespread and significant flooding across large parts of the state.

National rainfall was below average in May and June. However, in coastal areas of New South Wales, May rainfall was above average, as low pressure troughs brought several days of heavy to intense rainfall and led to significant flooding in the Mid North Coast district.

July national rainfall was above average, with large parts of southern Australia experiencing above to very much above average rainfall (within the highest 10% of all Julys since 1900).

From September to November, multiple weather systems brought widespread rainfall to much of the country. There were heavy falls and severe thunderstorms at times in northern, central and eastern regions. However, spring rainfall was below average for much of New South Wales and northern Victoria.

Water storages

Rainfall was below average across much of southern Australia, where many water storages are located. As a result, catchments were dry and inflows to water storages were low, causing water levels in these storages to decrease over January to November 2025. Australia's total surface water storage volume was at 69.3% of accessible capacity at the end of November, a decrease from 73.0% at the start of the year.

The major storages in the Murray–Darling Basin have been in decline since late 2022. With dry catchment conditions and increased demand during the irrigation season (from October to March), total storage volume in the Murray–Darling Basin decreased from 73.0% at the start of the year to 66.2% by the end of November.

In northern Australia, average rainfall resulted in average inflows to Lake Argyle, the largest water storage in Australia. Lake Argyle's volume steadily declined during the dry season from a high of 110.0% in March to 84.3% by end of November.

At the end of November, surface water storages supplying capital cities were high (over 80.0% of their accessible capacity), except for Perth, Adelaide and Melbourne, at 46.0%, 67.2% and 74.8%, respectively. All cities received below average rainfall during 2025. Melbourne's storage levels dropped from 86.6% at the start of January. In contrast, Adelaide's storage levels rose from 45.8% at the start of January. In 2025, Adelaide, Melbourne, and Perth utilised their desalination plants to supplement their water supply.

The Menindee Lakes supply water to Broken Hill, the lower Darling River and along the Murray River in New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia. Large inflows into the upper Darling River during 2025 saw the Menindee Lakes rise from 36.6% at the start of the year to 68.3.% full by the end of November.

The Nogoa MacKenzie Water Supply Scheme services central Queensland communities. Below average rainfall saw storage levels drop from 25.1% at the start of the year to 18.8% at the end of November.

Oceans

Monthly sea surface temperatures (SSTs) averaged for the Australian region (4°S to 46°S and 94°E to 174°E) have been warmest or second warmest on record (since 1900) for every month in 2025.

January to November SSTs were very much above average (in the warmest 10% of all years since 1900) across the Australian region and warmest on record in several areas, including:

• parts of the Coral Sea and Arafura Sea to the north of Australia
• in the Tasman Sea, off the coast of New South Wales

The year commenced with a weak La Niña, during summer 2024–25, but by late February, the tropical Pacific returned to neutral El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) conditions. From late September, a weak La Niña redeveloped in the tropical Pacific, with atmospheric and oceanic conditions becoming fully coupled by November. This weak La Niña likely contributed to the build-up of exceptionally warm waters to the north of Australia during spring.

A negative phase of the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) was active from mid-September and continued throughout spring. The negative IOD weakened rapidly from early November, with forecasts indicating a return to neutral IOD conditions in December.

Global temperatures

The World Meteorological Organization's (WMO) provisional report on the State of the Global Climate in 2025, based on data for the first 8 months of 2025, reports a global mean surface temperature of 1.42 °C ± 0.12 °C above the 1850–1990 average. Globally, 2025 is on track to be the second or third warmest year on record, behind 2024. The past 3 years (2023 to 2025) are on track to be the warmest three years on record.

Long-range forecast for December

The long-range forecast for December, issued on 4 December 2025, indicated

• Maximum temperatures are likely to very likely (60% to more than 80% chance) to be above average for most of the country, except for Cape York Peninsula in Queensland and western Tasmania.
• Minimum temperatures are likely to very likely (60% to more than 80% chance) to be above average for parts of the tropical north, coastal and central areas of Queensland, New South Wales, and southern Western Australia extending into South Australia. Below average temperatures are likely (60 to 70 % chance) for Tasmania and central areas of the Northern Territory. There is no clear signal in the minimum temperature forecast, meaning roughly equal chances of above or below average temperature, for much of the interior and the south-east.
• Rainfall is likely to very likely (more than 60% chance) to be below average for most of the country, except for the Cape York Peninsula in Queensland, some parts of Western Australia and western Tasmania, where there is no clear signal in the rainfall forecast, meaning roughly equal chances of above or below average rainfall.

Product code: IDCKGC7AR0