The article is written by Bernadette Sanfilippo
Most have this general conception that Australia endures hot weather all…the…time. The truth of the matter is, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Let’s trek around to several Australian capitals and explore their accompanying weather conditions…
SYDNEY
Sydney is prone to experiencing four seasons in a single day. The summer days tend to endure periods of high temperatures, coupled with relatively high peaks in humidity however, in the late afternoon, the sky can quickly become overcast and, if so, a downpour is likely to ensue. The maximum temperatures can also differ greatly from one day to the next. A day of 38oC can easily be followed by a day of 26oC. Winters in Sydney do tend to be milder, with temperatures typically hovering between the high-teens and low-twenties.
MELBOURNE
Melbourne is a rather interesting one for weather. Winters are icy cold, with most days never reaching a temperature higher than 15oC. While that may seem warm compared to many other winters around the world, the humidity is usually extremely low, making the weather feel much icier than it may actually be. In more recent years, very little rainfall has been experienced throughout the season, and the absence of such has greatly contributed to the lower levels of humidity. Summers, on the other hand, tend to experience lower average temperatures, primarily due to the city’s close proximity to Antarctica, but periods of extremely high, uncomfortably dense humidity.
BRISBANE
Brisbane experiences a humidity so high in the summer time, it is virtually impossible to be active outside. While the peak temperature may not necessarily be high, there is often little to no relief from the humidity, which remains consistently high all throughout the day and deep into the night. The capital experiences intense tropical weather conditions and, in the last few years, has endured a number of relatively serious cyclones and tropical storms. Brisbane does not tend to experience a formal winter, but rather a period of lowered humidity and heat between June and September.
PERTH
Perth is situated between the sea and the land, literally. Situated on the coast of Western Australia, the Indian Ocean sits on one side of the city, while both the Gibson and Great Victoria Deserts sit on the other. With all this in such close proximity, Perth experiences very high temperatures in the summertime, typically enduring consecutive days of 40oC+ weather. Unlike other Australian cities however, the overall humidity tends to remain quite low. Perth’s winters tends to resemble Sydney’s, with temperatures typically floating between the high-teens and low-twenties, with strong, short bursts of rainfall occurring periodically.
CANBERRA
Canberra, our nation’s capital, experiences the lowest winter temperatures in the country. While the average daytime temperature tends to sit between 10oC – 15oC, much like Melbourne, the nightly average can frequently fall several degrees below zero. While the city can experience rainfall throughout the winter, it is not nearly as prone to strong downpour as other Australian capitals. While the summers in Canberra will often endure much higher peaking temperatures than those in neighbouring states, these, once again, tend to be followed by much cooler nightly conditions.
