Australian Weather

02 Jan 2026, 10:08PM UTC

An extremely hot air mass will spread across Australia next week, with temperatures expected to reach the mid-to-high 40s in parts of four states. Next week’s heat will be driven by a slow-moving upper-level ridge passing over Australia, which will allow a broad ‘heat trough’ to develop at the surface. This weather pattern will cause hot air to intensify over WA from this weekend before spreading across southern, central and southeastern Australia next week. Temperatures will climb across WA during the next few days, with a large area of the state expected to reach the low to mid-forties by Monday. The maps below show modelled maximum temperatures on Friday this week and for this coming Monday, highlighting how much warming will occur in WA over the coming days. Image: Forecast maximum temperature on Friday, January 2, 2025. Source: Weatherzone. Image: Forecast maximum temperature on Monday, January 5, 2025. Source: Weatherzone. The heat should start to spread further east from around Tuesday next week, initially into SA and central Australia before also hitting Vic and NSW from Wednesday and Thursday. It’s too early to know exactly how hot this air mass will be as it spreads across Australia next week. However, numerous computer models suggest temperatures could reach around 45 to 46°C in parts of WA, SA, Vic and NSW, with some spots possibly reaching about 48°C. The hottest weather over the coming week will occur inland, away from Australia’s state capital cities, but the major cities won’t completely escape the heat. Adelaide is forecast to reach around 39 to 41°C on Wednesday and Friday next week. Melbourne is also predicted to reach 30 to 39°C each day from Wednesday to Friday next week. Mildura in northwest Vic will be exposed to the searing inland heat from Wednesday and is forecast to reach 45°C on Thursday. Slightly higher temperatures could occur across the border in SA on Thursday. Image: Daily forecast in the Weatherzone app for Mildura, Vic next week. Source: Weatherzone. The slow-moving nature and intensity of this heat will cause Severe heatwave conditions to extend from WA across to Vic and Tas next week. While the highest temperatures will occur in WA, SA, Vic and Tas, heatwave conditions will impact part of every Australian state and territory. Image: Forecast heatwave severity for the three days starting on Tuesday, January 6, 2025. Source: Weatherzone. The high temperatures are also likely to elevate fire danger ratings on some days next week, with Friday currently looking like a potentially dangerous fire day for parts of southern Australia. Forecasts may jump around over the next few days as new model guidance becomes available, so be sure to check the latest forecasts in your area, particularly if you have outdoor plans. The Australian Red Cross has the following advice for staying safe during a heatwave: Stay inside and keep out of the heat as much as possible. Plan to do most of your activities early or late in the day to avoid being outside during the hottest hours. Avoid sport and heavy exercise during peak hours of the day. Drink plenty of fluids to stay hydrated, even if you don’t feel thirsty. Keep your home cool by using external shade cloths or blinds to shield the inside of the house from direct sunlight. Where possible use a combination of air conditioning and fans to keep certain rooms in the house cool. Electric fans can be an effective method of cooling if air conditioning is not available. If not using air conditioning, open windows during the cooler parts of the day and allow ventilation between rooms. Have cool showers or baths, splash yourself with cold water, or use a cool damp cloth to cool down. If it's too hot at home, go to an air-conditioned shopping centre, community centre, library or your local swimming pool. Avoid direct exposure to the sun where possible and protect yourself with appropriate clothing (loose-fitting, lightweight and light-coloured). Do not leave children or animals in parked vehicles. Keep in touch with friends, neighbours and relatives, particularly if they’re unwell or isolated.

02 Jan 2026, 12:18AM UTC

Australia’s mean temperature was more than 1.2°C above average in 2025, making it the country’s 4th warmest year in more than a century of records. Measuring national temperature in Australia Australia's national average temperature is measured by combining observations from 112 weather stations spread across the country. These weather stations, which extend from coast to coast and include every state and territory, make up the Australian Climate Observations Reference Network – Surface Air Temperature (ACORN-SAT) dataset. ACORN-SAT is the official dataset for monitoring Australia’s average temperatures over time, and it has reliable temperature observations dating back to 1910. How did 2025 compare to other years? Australia’s mean annual temperature in 2025 was 21.8°C, which was 1.23°C above the 1961-1990 average. This was Australia’s 4th highest annual mean temperature since records commenced in 1910, falling behind temperature anomalies of: +1.51°C in 2019 +1.45°C in 2024 +1.35°C in 2013 Abnormally warm annual temperatures were experienced across almost all of Australia in 2025, with the exception of a few places in northern Australia. Some areas of southern Australia had their warmest year on record. Image: Annual mean temperature deciles for 2025. The dark orange shaded areas had their warmest year on record. Source: Bureau of Meteorology. Rainfall was mixed across Australia in 2025, with above average rain over large areas of northern and eastern Australia and below average rain in much of the south and southeast. South Australia had its driest year since 2019, while annual rainfall was in the lowest 10 percent of historical records for parts of SA, WA, Victoria and southern NSW. By contrast, some areas in northeast Qld and eastern NSW had their wettest year on record. Image: Annual rainfall deciles in 2025. Red shading shows areas that saw below average rain in 2025, while blue shaded areas had a wetter than average year. Source: Bureau of Meteorology. Australia’s weather extremes in 2025 Like all years, 2025 included a range of extreme weather events in Australia, with intense heat, harsh cold and plenty of heavy rain and thunderstorms. The highest temperature officially recorded in Australia during 2025 was 49.3°C at Geraldton, WA on January 20. This was the lowest annual peak temperature since 2021 and fell well below the country’s maximum temperature record of 50.7°C. Several states set new highest daily maximum temperature records for individual months in 2025. This included: 48.7°C at Oodnadatta on February 12, a new February record for SA 47.5°C at Birdsville on February 12, a new February record for Qld 46.1°C at Birdsville on October 21, a new October record for Qld 44.9°C at Wanaaring on October 21, a new October record for NSW Australia’s lowest temperature in 2025 was -13.2°C at Thredbo on August 18. Other locations that dropped to -10°C or lower in 2025 included Perisher Valley (-11.6°C), Cooma (-10°C) and Goulburn (-10°C). The year’s heaviest daily rainfall occurred in Qld, where a rain gauge near Paluma received 745.2 mm in the 24 hours ending at 9am local time on February 3. Other notable weather events in 2025 included: Summer snow at both ends of the year, in February and December Tropical Cyclone Alfred hitting southeast Qld Atmospheric gravity waves off Australia’s northwest coast A toxic algal bloom off SA Major flood in western Qld Waterfalls on Uluru Heavy snow in northern NSW Giant hail in southeast Qld Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre turning pink 7.7 million lightning strikes in one week Aurora Australis visible from as far north as Qld Tornadic thunderstorm in Perth Severe Tropical Cyclone Fina passes near Darwin