Climate summary information for 2025

Australia's climate in 2025

Temperature

• It was Australia's fourth-warmest year since national records began in 1910, with the national annual average temperature 1.23 °C above the 1961–1990 average.
• The national average maximum temperature was 1.48 °C above the 1961–1990 average, the equal fourth-warmest on record. The national average minimum temperature was 0.97 °C above average, the eighth-warmest on record.
• The national average temperature for each month in 2025 was above the 1961–1990 average, with January, February, March and October within the top 5 warmest on record for their respective months.
• Between January and March, and between October and December, large parts of Australia experienced heatwave conditions, reaching extreme severity at times.

Rainfall

• The national average annual rainfall was 7.8% above the 1961–1990 average at 502.2 mm.
• Rainfall was below average for most of Tasmania, Victoria and South Australia, southern and inland areas of New South Wales and large parts of Western Australia.
• Rainfall was above average for much of Queensland, northern and eastern parts of the Northern Territory, coastal areas of New South Wales and northern and some southern areas of Western Australia.
• Long-term rainfall deficiencies, since February 2024, continue to impact agricultural areas of South Australia, large areas of Victoria extending into southern New South Wales, and some areas of Tasmania.

Water resources

• Annual average soil moisture was above the 1911–2025 average across coastal New South Wales, central Queensland, around the Top End of the Northern Territory and Western Australia's Kimberley coast. Soil moisture was below the annual average for large parts of southern Australia.
• Annual streamflow was below the 1975–2025 average for large areas of north-western and southern Australia, but for most of Queensland and northern New South Wales, streamflow was above average.
• By the end of 2025, Australia's total surface water storage was at 68.2% of the accessible capacity, compared with 73% at the end of 2024. Most of the country's surface water storages decreased due to dry conditions and low inflows. However, surface water storage levels increased in northern New South Wales and the Menindee Lakes following above average rain in large parts of Queensland and coastal areas of New South Wales.