Australian Weather

Today, 2:55AM UTC

The fields of southern Australia are aglow with large patches of yellow due to the spring canola crop – the nation's largest seed crop and our 3rd-largest broadacre crop of any kind. The contrast of the yellow canola flowers with the green grass of spring almost makes the countryside look like an Aussie sports team decked out in the traditional green-and-gold. Let's learn a little more about Australia's canola crop and the weather patterns that have brought fields of yellow to life. Where does canola grow in Australia? According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, as much as 7 million tonnes of canola is grown in Australia each year. That's around a quarter of the volume of the national wheat crop. Australian canola is highly regarded overseas and is used for everything from biofuels to stock feed to cooking oil. Have you consumed margarine or vegetable oil lately? Then it’s likely that it contained Australian-grown canola. Canola is grown in all southern states as well as in parts of southern and central Queensland. Our three biggest-producing states (in order) in most seasons are Western Australia, New South Wales and Victoria. There's cloud over much of southern WA this Thursday, so here's a satellite image of canola crops in the Central West of NSW, in the heart of our second-biggest canola state. Image: Satellite view of the Central West of NSW at 11:30 am (AEST) on Thursday, September 10, 2026. Source: Weatherzone. How winter rainfall has impacted this year's crop Regular winter rainfall is ideal for canola, most of which is sown in autumn and harvested in spring or early summer. Victoria As the chart below shows, Victoria had average or above-average winter rainfall in all parts of the state except for a section in the east. While some canola cropping takes place in Gippsland in eastern Victoria, most canola is grown in central or western Victoria, where winter was relatively wet this year. Image: Victorian rainfall deciles for winter 2026. Source: BoM.  New South Wales The NSW rainfall chart for the 2026 winter tells an interesting story. While it was very dry along much of the east coast, there was average or even above-average rainfall in areas west of the Great Dividing Range, where the majority of the state's canola is grown. Image: NSW rainfall deciles for winter 2026. Source: BoM.  While we're talking about NSW and Victoria, it's worth noting that the Murray/Darling Basin as a whole received 14.51% more rainfall than usual in the 2026 winter, according to the BoM.  Western Australia In Western Australia, the far southwest had a dry winter, but other parts of the state where canola is grown had average or slightly-above-average rainfall – such as the region around Esperance in the South East Coastal forecast district. Image: WA rainfall deciles for winter 2026. Source: BoM. All up, it looks like 2026 will be a good year for the national canola crop, especially in eastern Australia. The crop certainly looks pretty from space! Image: Satellite view of canola crops west and northwest of Melbourne at 8 am (AEST) on Thursday, September 10, 2026. Source: Weatherzone. Does canola cause hay fever? Not with most people, no. In spring, it's generally the grasses that cause hay fever, as their pollen is picked up by the wind and blown our way. It's called "hay" fever for a reason! Canola is pollinated by insects – and it's the case with most plants pollinated by insects that their pollen becomes stickier and heavier than grass pollen, and therefore doesn't tend to be picked up by the wind.

09 Sep 2026, 6:48AM UTC

The game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams at the MCG kicks off at 10:35 am (AEST) on Thursday, and cool, clear, calm conditions are expected in Melbourne. This will be the first ever NFL match to take place in Australia, with the nation's largest and most famous sporting arena to be showcased to potentially more than 20 million TV viewers, who will tune in on Thursday evening in the USA. So what will the weather bring? Unusually calm conditions for a city famous for volatile weather Image: Forecast minimum temperatures across Australia on Friday, September 11, 2026, showing the location of Melbourne on the southeast tip of the mainland. Source: Weatherzone. After a possible foggy start to Friday, Melbourne is expecting clear skies and a maximum of 17°C (approx. 63°F). after a minimum of 8°C (approx. 46°F). If you were issuing a blind forecast for any given day in September based purely on monthly averages, Friday's temperatures are almost exactly what you'd expect, as Melbourne's average September maximum is 17.3°C and its average September minimum is 8.1°C. It's not often that the monthly averages are matched so closely in a daily forecast – and that's not the only unusual thing about Melbourne's weather on Friday. As any local knows, Melbourne's weather is famously volatile. Locals often say they experience "four seasons in one day". A running joke is that if you don't like the weather in Melbourne, just wait a few minutes. Due to its location on Australia's southern coastline. Melbourne can experience searing hot northerly winds bringing heat from Australia's interior, followed by cold, showery air masses that originated in Antarctica. Sometimes, and especially in spring, both extremes can occur on the same day. But this Friday will be the meteorological equivalent of baby bear's porridge, with near windless, clear conditions – even if it's a little on the cool side with an apparent or "feels like" temperature between about 13°C (approx. 55°F) and 15°C (59°F) during the game. The good news for fans attending the match – and for those watching on television – is that Melbourne's clear skies should be conducive to a dry playing surface and a free-flowing game. There may be a little dew early on, but it will likely evaporate by mid-morning. Image: 2-metre temperatures and 10-metre winds for Victoria and Melbourne at 10 am (AEST) on Friday, September 11, 2026, showing that winds will be light during the game. Source: Weatherzone. Key Melbourne weather facts and statistics Rainfall Melbourne receives 644.2 mm of rainfall (approx. 25 inches) on average each year. That's pretty similar to what San Francisco receives, but Melbourne's rain is reasonably evenly distributed from month to month, whereas most of San Francisco's rain comes in winter. Spring is a little wetter than other seasons in Melbourne, with September typically being the 4th-wettest month with an average of 52.8 mm (just over two inches). Temperature Melbourne's average maximum in September is 17.3°C. Melbourne's average minimum in September is 8.1°C. So as mentioned above, Friday's forecast of a minimum of 8°C to a maximum of 17°C is virtually right on average for this time of year. Melbourne’s hottest day on record was 46.4°C (approx. 116 °F) in February 2009, and its coldest recorded night was -2.8°C (approx. 27°F) in July 1869. Our detailed Melbourne forecast is here.