Adelaide has had no rain this January, with the city facing the strong likelihood of the first dry January since 2019 and just the eighth on record, in data going back to 1839.

It has also been an exceptionally hot month in Adelaide, with minimum temperatures running at 1°C above the long-term average and maximums 3.6°C above average as of this Thursday, January 29.

And there’s more heat coming with forecast maximums of 37°C for this Thursday and 41°C for Friday.

With little if any rain on the horizon to close out January, or for the first few days of February, it’s possible that this could be Adelaide’s driest summer on record.

Adelaide's driest summer was 1905/06 with just 4mm in total. This year, just 2.8mm fell in December, so after a rainless January to date, 2.8mm is the city’s running tally for the 2025/26 summer.

Dry Adelaide weather continues recent trend

December, January, February and March are Adelaide’s four driest months on average, so it’s not unusual to see parched parks and paddocks in and around the SA capital at this time of year.

But this summer has still been considerably drier than usual so far, and it’s the continuation of a dry trend that was evident for much of 2024 and 2025.

Image: Australian rainfall deciles in 2025. Source: BoM.

The graph above shows rainfall deficiencies across Australia in 2025. As you can see, Adelaide is in the pink zone, indicating below-average rainfall.

• In 2025, Adelaide received 423.8mm of rainfall, which was about 80% of its long-term annual average of 525.2mm.
• In 2024, Adelaide received just 346.6mm, which was around 66% of its long-term annual average.

The two consecutive years of rainfall deficiencies in 2024 and 2025 are reflected in the next graph (below) which shows that some areas adjacent to the city had their lowest 24-month rainfall on record.

Image: Australian rainfall deciles in the period from January 2024 to December 2025. Source: BoM.

Meanwhile, hot dry weather persists across South Australia this Thursday, with two more days of extreme heat on the cards for the state’s north and east. The mercury could even nudge 50°C this Thursday in places like Marree in the North East Pastoral forecast district.

Down south, a few showers are showing on the radar, skidding quickly across the Eyre and Yorke peninsulas, Kangaroo Island, and parts of the southeast. But no rainfall was officially recorded in the first hour of the meteorological day to 10am (ACDT).