Australian Weather

Today, 3:19AM UTC

Wintry weather will finally return to eastern Australia after a remarkable run of June warmth. Since the start of winter, maximum and minimum temperatures have been running at around 2-3 degrees above average in Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide, Hobart and Canberra, with the southeastern corner of the country experiencing the biggest warmth anomalies. Of the capitals, only Perth has had a cool start to the season, due to cold fronts tending to peak in the southwest of the continent rather than the southeast. But this weekend, a cold front will cool things down over much of eastern Australia. Showery weather and blustery winds can be expected for at least part of the weekend in Melbourne, Adelaide, Canberra, and Hobart, while Sydney should see its first day below 20°C in two weeks on Sunday despite remaining mostly dry. A relatively weak cold front, but enough to cool things down Image: Four-hour combined satellite and radar loop on June 19, 2026, showing cloud streaming towards the east coast from the northwest in the mild airstream ahead of the front, while cold air pushes onshore to SA and western Vic from the south. Source: Weatherzone. As winter cold fronts go, this system is not a particularly vigorous or chilly system, although wild winds have announced its arrival. As often happens, winds have been strong in the mild northwesterly airstream ahead of the front, with gusts of 120 km/h or slightly stronger recorded on Thursday in the New South Wales and Victorian alpine region. Less blustery conditions will set in as the coolest air pushes east on Saturday and Sunday. In terms of temperatures, the cooler air will bring maximum temperatures much closer to the long-term June average across a wide area.  Expected maximums for the capital cities this weekend Perth Expect maximums of 18°C and 19°C on Saturday and Sunday respectively, continuing the cool week in southwest WA. Perth’s average June maximum is 19.5°C. Adelaide After a warm start to the week with two days topping 20°C, Adelaide cooled down on Thursday with a maximum of 15.5°C. Expect tops around 15°C both days this weekend. The average June maximum is 15.8°C. Melbourne The Victorian capital has also had a warm week, with a rare 20-degree June day on Wednesday, followed by its highest June minimum on record on Thursday morning. The weekend will be much cooler, with expected highs of 14°C both days. The average June maximum is 14.1°C.  Sydney The harbour city hit 20°C before midday this Friday, which made it 13 straight 20-degree days (or warmer). Expect 21°C on Saturday before a maximum of 19°C on Sunday. The average June maximum is 17°C. Canberra After an unseasonably warm week with two 18-degree days, the national capital will feel more like its usual wintry self this weekend, with expected tops of 14°C and 13°C on Saturday and Sunday respectively. The average June maximum is 14.1°C (interestingly, that’s the same as Melbourne’s). Hobart Expect maximums of 12°C on Saturday and 13°C on Sunday in Hobart, after a week of fluctuating temperatures which included a near-record June high of 20.3°C last Saturday. Hobart’s average June maximum is 12.1°C. Brisbane The Queensland capital has seen just one day with a maximum below 20°C so far this winter, but that could change this weekend, when after a sunny Saturday with a top of 24°C, grey skies and showers could see the mercury peaking at just 19°C on Sunday. The average June maximum is 22.0°C. Darwin Darwin will be doing typical Darwin dry season things, with sunny skies and maximums around 32°C on both Saturday and Sunday. The average June maximum is 30.8°C. Wherever you are this weekend, we hope it’s a good one. And for those scanning the skies for snow, expect a few flakes this weekend with accumulations of a few centimetres likely at higher elevations. It won’t be a big season-starting snow dump, but at least there should be a good snowmaking window of cold, crisp nights for several days next week. Please check the Weatherzone snow page for the latest alpine conditions and forecasts. READ MORE: Snowmaking begins in Australia, but how does it work?

Today, 2:16AM UTC

This weekend, June 20-21, will be the darkest weekend of 2026 in Australia based on the amount of time between sunset and sunrise. Winter solstice 2026: When and what is it? The 2026 winter solstice will occur at about 6:24 pm AEST on Sunday, June 21, marking the moment Earth’s south pole reaches its maximum tilt away from the Sun. This means Sunday will be the shortest day of the year in the Southern Hemisphere, including Australia, based on the amount of time between sunrise and sunset. Image: Orientation of Earth and the Sun on the date of the winter solstice. Source: Weatherzone. The days surrounding the winter solstice have the fewest hours of daylight for the year, while the surrounding nights have the most hours of darkness. As a result, this weekend in Australia will have the shortest amount of daylight and the longest amount of darkness of any weekend in 2026. How long is the day on the winter solstice in Australia? The table below shows how long the day will be in each Australian capital city this Sunday. Image: Daylength for Australia's capital cities on the date of the 2026 winter solstice. Source: Weatherzone. There is a large range of daylengths across Australia on the date of the winter solstice, due to the large difference in latitude from the country’s north to south. The winter solstice day lasts for about 11.5 hours in northern Australia, but only 9 hours in the country’s south. This means Darwin has almost 1.5 hours more daylight than Hobart. Is the solstice the start of winter? Winter officially begins in Australia on June 1 and ends on August 31. This is sometimes referred to as the ‘meteorological winter’ because it aligns well with the coldest three-month period of the year in Australia. The winter solstice marks the start of the ‘astronomical winter’. While the solstice is not used to define the start of the season in Australia, it is recognised as the start of winter in some other countries, including the United States. What happens after the winter solstice? Following the date of the Southern Hemisphere’s 2026 winter solstice, days will start to get longer, and nights will get shorter across Australia. This trend of lengthening days and shortening nights will continue for around six months until the date of the Southern Hemisphere’s summer solstice in late December. So, while it may feel like the days fly by this weekend, longer days are waiting on the other side of Sunday.