The climate in Australia

The Rise- and Settingtimes of the sun and the moon are important for travel planning. But it is also important to know which climate exists at different places. Because of this I decided to build climate diagrams of some towns and villages.
All climate diagramms you see here are shown in international and science standards.

Quick Navigation:

How to use:

On this page you see an overview of all different available location in the map or in the table below. You will get the climate diagram when clicking with your mouse onto the locatiion name. Also you can view all available diagrams on one page together, this will increase the time of load because of a lot of grapgics. General information about climate diagrams are shown at the bottom of this page.

Map overview:

Kokos Island (3m) alt="Gove (51m)"> alt="Darwin (27m)"> alt="Cairns (7m)"> alt="Broome (9m)"> alt="Halls Creek (424m)"> alt="Tennant Creek (376m)"> alt="Port Hedland (11m)"> alt="Mount Isa (337m)"> alt="Mackay (31m)"> alt="Longreach (193m)"> alt="Alice Springs (544m)"> alt="Carnavon (7m)"> alt="Giles (599m)"> alt="Meekatharra (518m)"> alt="Brisbane (6m)"> alt="Geraldton (34m)"> alt="Moree Amo (214m)"> alt="Kalgoorlie (360m)"> alt="Forrest (160m)"> alt="Woomera (167m)"> alt="Cobar (265m)"> alt="Perth (12m)"> alt="Esperance (26m)"> alt="Sydney (3m)"> alt="Albany (69m)"> alt="Adelaide (11m)"> alt="Canberra (577m)"> alt="Melbourne (14m)"> alt="Hobart (27m)"> alt="Macquarie Island (6m)"> alt="Map - click onto location" usemap="#Australienkarte">

Table overview:

Location Latitude Longitude Altitude

Kokos Island 12° 11' S 096° 49' E 3 m

Gove 12° 17' S 136° 49' E 51 m

Darwin 12° 24' S 130° 52' E 27 m

Cairns 16° 53' S 145° 45' E 7 m

Broome 17° 57' S 122° 13' E 9 m

Halls Creek 18° 13' S 127° 39' E 424 m

Tennant Creek 19° 38' S 134° 10' E 376 m

Port Hedland 20° 22' S 118° 38' E 11 m

Mount Isa 20° 39' S 139° 29' E 337 m

Mackay 21° 07' S 149° 13' E 31 m

Longreach 23° 26' S 144° 16' E 193 m

Alice Springs 23° 48' S 133° 54' E 544 m

Carnavon 24° 53' S 113° 40' E 7 m

Giles 25° 02' S 128° 18' E 599 m

Meekatharra 26° 36' S 118° 31' E 518 m

Brisbane 27° 26' S 153° 05' E 6 m

Geraldton 28° 47' S 114° 42' E 34 m

Moree Amo 29° 30' S 149° 50' E 214 m

Kalgoorlie 30° 46' S 121° 27' E 360 m

Forrest 30° 50' S 128° 06' E 160 m

Woomera 31° 09' S 136° 48' E 167 m

Cobar 31° 29' S 145° 49' E 265 m

Perth 31° 56' S 115° 57' E 12 m

Esperance 33° 49' S 121° 53' E 26 m

Sydney 33° 57' S 151° 11' E 3 m

Albany 34° 57' S 117° 48' E 69 m

Adelaide 34° 57' S 138° 32' E 11 m

Canberra 35° 18' S 149° 11' E 577 m

Melbourne 37° 51' S 144° 44' E 14 m

Hobart 42° 50' S 147° 30' E 27 m

Macquarie Island 54° 29' S 158° 58' E 6 m

Location	Latitude	Longitude	Altitude
Kokos Island	12° 11' S	096° 49' E	3 m
Gove	12° 17' S	136° 49' E	51 m
Darwin	12° 24' S	130° 52' E	27 m
Cairns	16° 53' S	145° 45' E	7 m
Broome	17° 57' S	122° 13' E	9 m
Halls Creek	18° 13' S	127° 39' E	424 m
Tennant Creek	19° 38' S	134° 10' E	376 m
Port Hedland	20° 22' S	118° 38' E	11 m
Mount Isa	20° 39' S	139° 29' E	337 m
Mackay	21° 07' S	149° 13' E	31 m
Longreach	23° 26' S	144° 16' E	193 m
Alice Springs	23° 48' S	133° 54' E	544 m
Carnavon	24° 53' S	113° 40' E	7 m
Giles	25° 02' S	128° 18' E	599 m
Meekatharra	26° 36' S	118° 31' E	518 m
Brisbane	27° 26' S	153° 05' E	6 m
Geraldton	28° 47' S	114° 42' E	34 m
Moree Amo	29° 30' S	149° 50' E	214 m
Kalgoorlie	30° 46' S	121° 27' E	360 m
Forrest	30° 50' S	128° 06' E	160 m
Woomera	31° 09' S	136° 48' E	167 m
Cobar	31° 29' S	145° 49' E	265 m
Perth	31° 56' S	115° 57' E	12 m
Esperance	33° 49' S	121° 53' E	26 m
Sydney	33° 57' S	151° 11' E	3 m
Albany	34° 57' S	117° 48' E	69 m
Adelaide	34° 57' S	138° 32' E	11 m
Canberra	35° 18' S	149° 11' E	577 m
Melbourne	37° 51' S	144° 44' E	14 m
Hobart	42° 50' S	147° 30' E	27 m
Macquarie Island	54° 29' S	158° 58' E	6 m

What is climate?

By the term climate we understand the whole contitions of all meteorological conditions during a longer period. This stands in full contrast to the weather. The weather represents only the present/immediate meteorological contition in our atmosphere at a certain location at a certain time. The diagrams shown here fulfill all the scientific and international criteria. The values were collected during a period by 30 years.

How do I read a climate diagram?

Please note: The timeline does not start with January on the left! It starts with July! This allows the immediate comparison of locations in the northern and southern hemisphere.

First of all some terms must now be described and definitions be made:
Dry Climate:
You speak of a Dry Climate if the annual (!) rainfall is less than 300mm.

Potential landscape evaporation:
It is a computable value and indicates, which quantity of water can evaporate within a region maximally. This value depends on water surfaces (lakes/rivers), missing ground vegetation and existing plants.

Humid: (only per month)
The rainfall ist is greater or equal than the potential landscape evaporation.

Arid: (only per month)
The rainfall ist is less than the potential landscape evaporation.

But how do I read a climate diagram?

On the top left are shown the name of location, altitude, latitude and longitude. Based on this information you know roughly the zone of tropes, subtropes, temperate zone, subpolar zone and polar zone.

The annual rainfall and annual average temperature are always seen on top right. You know if the location is found in the dry climate.

You can interpret the run of the temperature curve as the border of potential landscape evaporation:
If the rainfall is shown above on on the graph of temperature (blue) than the month is called humid.
If the rainfall is shown below the graph of temperature (below yellow paint) than the month is called arid.

Now you know also the answer of the questin: Why are temperature and rainfall shown in only one diagram?

To identify the general the type of climate (arid, semiarid, semihumid or humid) you need to count the humid months in the diagram.

wet type of climate	Count of humid months
arid	0 bis 2
semiarid	3 bis 5
semihumid	6 bis 9
humid	10 bis 12

To determine the thermal type of climate you watch the fluctuation of temperature relating to the months. Because the thermal absorption of water (maritime) takes longer than the thermal absorption of land (continental) you must not forget the nearness of the ocean.

thermal type of climate	description
strong maritime	no fluctuation of temperature between coldest and warmest month
maritime	little fluctuation of temperature between coldest and warmest month
continental	increased fluctuation of temperature between coldest and warmest month
strong continental	great fluctuation of temperature between coldest and warmest month

Within all diagram you can exactly define one of the four wet type of climate and one of the four thermal typ of climate.

Please note: This is a careful consideration of the climate. How the weather looks like on your Australian holliday nobody can tell you. :-)

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Wuppertal, June 2003