Climate of Adelaide


Adelaide has a Mediterranean climate, with cool to mild winters with moderate rainfall and warm to hot, generally dry summers.

Seasonal variation

In summer the average maximum is around, but there is considerable variation and Adelaide can usually expect several days a year when the daytime temperature is and there are generally two or more days in which the maximum is or slightly above. In winter the average maximum is around and the average minimum around. Frosts are common in the valleys of the Adelaide Hills, but rare elsewhere, with the most notable occurrences having occurred in July 1908 and July 1982. In winter, Adelaide experiences quite a significant wind chill, which makes the apparent temperature seem cooler than it actually is.
Rainfall is unreliable, light and infrequent throughout summer. The average in January and February is around, but completely rainless months are by no means uncommon, and in 1893 sixty-nine days passed without measurable rainfall. In contrast, the winter has fairly reliable rainfall with June being the wettest month of the year, averaging around 80 mm.

Climate data

Recorded extremes :

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecYear
12108532235710116.5

Extreme summer weather events: heatwaves, droughts (2008–)

March 2008 heatwave

Between 3 March and 17 March 2008 Adelaide recorded 15 consecutive days of or above, and 13 consecutive days of or above – both records for an Australian capital city.
The hottest March day ever recorded was on 12 March 1861.

January–February 2009 heatwave

During January and February 2009 Adelaide was affected by the early 2009 southeastern Australia heat wave. The heatwave broke numerous records and affected all of south-eastern Australia, including Melbourne, another southern Australian city, where some outdoor games were cancelled during the 2009 Australian Open.
The heatwave commenced in Adelaide on 26 January 2009, with a temperature of. From 27 January the temperature soared above degrees for 6 consecutive days, until 2 February where the temperature dropped to. This is the longest straight run of temperatures in Adelaide. On 28 January, the third day into the heatwave, the temperature reached, making it the third-hottest day on record in Adelaide. On that same night, the temperature only dipped to, making it the highest minimum temperature on record in South Australia. The maximum temperatures stayed higher than for another six days, including two more 40-degree-plus days until dropping back to on 8 February 2009.

November 2009 heatwave

In November 2009 Adelaide was affected by the late 2009 southeastern Australia heatwave which occurred in the states of South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales. Daily maximum temperatures during the heat wave were roughly above average in many locations. Capital cities Adelaide and Melbourne recorded temperatures over and, respectively, which are unusual for November. Above-average temperatures in the region began in late October and persisted until mid-November 2009.
Temperature records for November in Adelaide set during the heatwave:
The summer of 2013–2014 was the second-hottest on record. Records for Adelaide set during the 2013–2014 summer heatwave include:
Autumn 2014 was the fourth-warmest on record in South Australia, and included a record run of 16 consecutive days in May with maximum temperatures over 20 °C within the city and metro areas, making it Adelaide's hottest autumn ever.

October 2015: hottest October on record

October 2015 in Adelaide was the warmest on record for the city, continuing the trend of record breaking heat in the 2010s. The temperature was approximately degrees above the long term average. Rainfall was also scarce for the month.

December 2015: 5 consecutive days over 35 degrees and second heatwave for the summer

In early December, Adelaide experienced its hottest December night since 1897 and another heatwave–the temperature did not drop below until 4am on 7 December.
Following one of Adelaide's hottest nights on record, in mid December 2015, temperatures were forecasted to be above for five consecutive days starting on 14 December, the third-most days over in Adelaide's recorded history. This continues the trend that Adelaide has experienced since the early 2000s of summer heat exceeding maximum temperatures and breaking records. The heatwave in December 2015 marked Adelaide's record of five heatwaves in six years.

March 2016 heatwave

In early March, Adelaide endured 6 consecutive days in which the temperature reached above. On 5, 6 and 8 March, the temperature approached maximums of and degrees. Rain during this period increased the humidity level in the city, and flash flooding was recorded in the suburbs, as temperatures dropped back into the high 20s on 9 March.

Hottest Christmas Day in 75 years and February 2017 heatwave

On 25 December 2016, Adelaide experienced its hottest Christmas Day since 1941. The mercury reached. That following February, a heatwave was recorded in Adelaide as the temperature climbed above for 3 consecutive days, with the minimum overnight temperature not dropping below on 9 February. Blackouts across the city complicated the conditions further.

Winter 2017: Second lowest June rainfall in Adelaide's recorded history

Adelaide recorded its second driest June in recorded history, and the driest in 59 years. Less than 10mm fell in the entire month, with Adelaide city recording only 8.6mm. Agricultural regions across South Australia were also affected, experiencing the third driest winter on record.

Summer 2017–2018: twelve consecutive days above 30 degrees and various heatwaves

Summer 2017–18 was another hot summer for Adelaide. Beginning on 17 January 2018, the daytime temperature in Adelaide did not drop below with forecasts of temperatures above up until 29 January. Two of these days, 19 January and 20 January, reached temperatures of above, while three days recorded temperatures at or above resulting in a heatwave, and two more are predicted to reach temperatures of.
On 24 January 2019 the official Adelaide weather observation station reached a new record high temperature of, breaking the previous 1939 record. On the Eastern side of Adelaide, the Adelaide weather station recorded a temperature of.