Prepared by CleverClicks for Bushman Tanks using data from The Bureau of Meteorology, March 2022. Updated May 2025..
Australia, home to some of the world’s driest regions frequently experiences extreme droughts and dangerous bushfires. Yet, it also endures heavy rainfall and cyclones, leading to devastating flooding.
A lot of the time these multiple weather hazards (or “compound events”) occur simultaneously. ‘One part of the country is deep in severe drought and battling bushfires, while somewhere else is submerged in water simultaneously’ is a common headline Australians are used to seeing.
As a significant example in the early 2000’s, most of Southern Australia experienced one of the worst droughts in its history, known as the Millennium Drought. A short time later the 2010/2011 La Niña event had ended this severe drought, but subsequently led to extreme flooding in Eastern Australia – particularly impacting central and southern Queensland.
So, while not uncommon to have these compound events occurring across Australia at any given time, what is growing concern is the climate’s rapid trajectory, and what these Australian weather trends means for the future.
In 2024 alone, both Northern Territory and Queensland endured above average flooding conditions, with NT having its wettest season since 2011, and QLD’s since 2022, respectively. On the other side of the weather spectrum, Australia as a whole endured extreme summer weather during January to March 2025.
From the El Niño and La Niña phenomena to subtropical high pressures, there are various factors that influence the weather patterns in Australia and affect the various Australian regions in different ways.
So if droughts are a recurring event and floods are just as frequent, how much rain falls in Australia each year?
Below is an interactive rainfall map of Australia that allows you to click through into each city and town to learn the average mm of rainfall per year, as well as the average number of rainfall days per year.
We have also created an interactive chart of the Average Rainfall per year in Australia, which spans from 1900 – 2024, with an accompanying document of the data in table format. We then dug a little deeper into the Australian rainfall per state, uncovering some of the reasons why Australia is such a dry country, and more.
Average Australian Rainfall | Interactive Map
In the interactive rainfall map below, you are able zoom in and click through into each city or town to view the average rainfall, as well as the average number of rainfall days for that location per year. It’s easy to see that coastal areas are exposed to much heavier rainfalls, while the central desert regions in South Australia and Western Australia are far dryer.
This data was gathered from the Australian Bureau of Meteorology, among other sources, which can be viewed in table format here.
Average Rainfall in Australia: 1900 – 2024
In the last 2 years alone, Australia’s climate has continued to see an increase in both rainfall and dry weather conditions, varying from region to region.
From May 2023 to April 30 2025, regions in South Australia, Victoria, Western Australia and Tasmania all recorded below average, and lowest on record rainfall. On the flip side, Northern Territory, Queensland and New South Wales have instead seen an increase in rainfall, reaching above average, and highest on record patterns.
Australia’s temperature as a whole has warmed by an average of 1.51 ±0.23 °C, while sea surface temperatures have seen an increase of 1.08 °C. Both of these records haven’t seen an increase since the 1900’s, as reported by The Bureau of Meteorology and CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation) in the State of the Climate 2024 report.
With these weather patterns and climate changes occuring, this data tells us that regions (particularly towards the coastlines) in Southern and Western Australia are more likely to continue to experience severe periods of droughts. Whereas regions in Northern and Eastern Australia (such as Queensland and New South Wales) are more likely to be subjected to extreme flooding and tropical cyclone events.
As can be seen in the graph below, rainfall in Australia has actually seen a slight increase from 1900 – 2024. This is due to uncharacteristic weather patterns which resulted in events such as tropical cyclones, as well as a general increase in the number of days of rainfall in certain areas, especially northern Australia.
As far as future predictions go with regard to Australian rainfall, it’s unconfirmed whether there will be a general increase or decrease across the country. Rather, varied changes across different regions are expected, as will be explained in more detail.
This data was gathered from the Australian Bureau of Meteorology on their page here, which links to this data set. This data set can be viewed in a cleaner format here.
Australian Rainfall per State in 2022
Rainfall for the year was above average for Australia as a whole, with the national total rainfall for 2022 being 26% above the 1961–1990 average at 509.7mm (the 1961–1990 average was 466.0 mm). This makes 2022 the ninth-wettest year on record for Australia (compared to all years since 1900).
As we can see in the graph below, Tasmania was undoubtedly the wettest Australian state in 2022, as it usually is. The Tasmanian city of Queenstown is one of the wettest places in the whole of Australia, experiencing about 150 days of rain per year. In 2022, average rainfall in New South Wales was 55% above average, which was one of the highest it has been.
South Australia is usually the driest state in Australia, with 2022 being no exception, having an average of 310.8mm average. The South Australian city Adelaide only experiences around 50 days of rainfall per year, while areas more central like Oodnadatta and Coober Petty only experience about 15 days of rainfall per year.
The original source of this data can be found here.
One of the driest areas in Australia however, is Birdsville in Queensland. The desert town experiences only 10 days of rainfall per year. Although going further up North in Queensland, areas in Bamaga and Weipa are subject to much heavier rainfall, with about 75 rainfall days per year.
Australian Rainfall by State in 2023
In 2023, the national rainfall total reached 473.70 mm of rainfall, 1.6% above the 1961 – 1990 average of 466.0 mm. Rainfall was below average compared to 2022, however each state had various contrasts in rainfall averages, with above average rainfall across most of the North, but below average rainfall records in East, South and West regions in Australia.
Rainfall in central Northern Territory, Western/Northern Queensland, Northern Western Australia, and central South Australia reached above average records.
Some parts in Northern Queensland also reached its highest rainfall on record.
Meanwhile Tasmania, Southern Victoria, Eastern and coastal Southern Australia, Eastern Australia, South-East Queensland, and Northern New South Wales experienced below average rainfall records, conversely different to the upper North of Australia.
Compared to 2022, Tasmania experienced a much drier year in 2023, reaching below average to very much below average across most of Tasmania with just 1201.84 mm of rainfall, compared to its 1322 mm rainfall in 2022. New South Wales rainfall area average received 428.9 mm, 22.9% below the 1961 – 1990 average.
South Australia remained to be one of the driest areas in the country, reaching a 12.5% below average record, making it the state’s driest year since 2019. The wettest area in the state was Ashton, Adelaide Hills (East of Adelaide) which had 1173 mm of rain. For Greater Adelaide as a whole, rainfall totals in 2023 were less compared to 2022.
One of the other driest areas in the country, the rural town of Birdsville in Central West Queensland, experienced less rainfall in 2023 compared to what it did in 2022.
Australian Rainfall by State in 2024
In 2024, Australia’s national area-averaged rainfall total was 596 mm, which is 28% above the 1961-1990 average of 466 mm. 2024 was recorded as the wettest year since 2011, and is marked as the eighth wettest year overall on record since 1900.
Despite this slight trajectory towards what could have been a relief in areas seeing severe dry conditions, dry regions still experienced below to very much below average records, once again resulting in devastating droughts.
Total rainfall for 2024 was above to very much above average rainfall in most of;
- Central and North Western Australia (recorded its wettest year since 2017)
- Most of the Northern Territory, particularly in central and North-West parts that reached highest on record
- Large areas in Queensland (particularly in the North)
- Western and North East of South Australia (towards inland and borders of NSW, QLD and WA)
For other parts in Australia, rainfall fell below to very much below average in;
- South East New South Wales
- Majority of Victoria (recorded it’s driest year since 2019)
- Central Queensland and small areas on the coast
- Coastal parts in Western Australia (particularly in the South and North-West areas)
- Majority of South Australia’s coast, and lowest on record for parts of Yorke Peninsula and Mid-North districts
- West and Southern coast areas in Tasmania
In February 2024, Tropical Cyclone (TC) Kirrily made its way to Westmoreland Station (near the border of Queensland and Northern Territory, west of Burketown) recording its highest February rainfall in that location (compared with 58 years of data), receiving 332.0 mm of rain.
Tropical Cyclone (TC) Megan sweeped over Borroloola Airport and McArthur River Mine Airport the following month. In March 2024, both airports in the Northern Territory recorded their highest daily rainfall for any month, receiving 256.6mm and 274.4 mm of rainfall, respectively.
Northern Territory recorded its fourth-wettest year on record and marked its wettest year since 2011 – almost over a decade and a half ago.
Rainfall per Month in Australia 2022
As can be seen in the graph below, January to February, which are the summer months in Australia as well as the wettest months in the year, were below average despite Tasmania receiving above-average rainfall in 2022.
These wet months at the beginning of 2022 were compensated for, with a drier than usual 7 months to follow, from April to September 2022 as Autumn passed and the year moved into winter. Despite very heavy rainfall along parts of the east coast, rainfall remained close to average or below average for large areas of the west-facing coasts of south-eastern Australia, resulting in the persistence of rainfall deficiencies in these areas with June seeing the lowest average rainfall.
The original source of this data can be found here.
Rainfall increased for the last 3 months of the year, with October seeing a steep increase and November and December seeing a similar rainfall.
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Rainfall per Month in Australia 2023
Rainfall Averages for Australia as a whole during seasonal periods;
- Summer (December, January, February) rainfall was 27% above the 1961–1990 average
- Autumn (March, April, May) rainfall was 10.1% below the 1961–1990 average
- Winter (June, July, August) rainfall was 4.2% below the 1961-1990 average
- Spring (September, October, November) rainfall was 20.1% below the 1961–1990 average (following two wetter than average springs)
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Some significant rainfall based weather events in 2023
- January – Tropical Cyclone Ellie and Monsoonal rain event (Northern Territory, Northern Western Australia and regions in North Queensland)
- March – Heavy rain and flooding in Northern Australia
- April – Tropical Cyclone IIsa (Northern Territory, North of Western Australia and Northern South Australia)
- July – Unseasonal rainfall in Northern Australia
- August – Widespread thunderstorms in New South Wales & South East Queensland
- September – Severe weather in south-western Western Australia
- October – Heavy rain hitting Victoria & Winter-like conditions in South-Eastern Australia
- December – Wet weather in South-Eastern states (Victoria & NSW)
- December – Heavy rainfall in South Australia’s fourth warmest December on record
- December – Tropical Cyclone Jasper (Northern Queensland)
January’s rainfall was 35% above the 1961 – 1990 average, while February hit close to average with just 4% above. For the start of Autumn in March, rainfall was just 7% below the average. April’s rainfall average for the month peaked high with a 35.7% above average rainfall record – the highest it has seen since 2006.
May, which is the last month of Autumn before Winter hits, was a significantly dry month. Since observations began in 1900, May 2023 was recorded as the second-driest May. Rainfall fell to a staggering 72.8% below average for this month, with only small areas in Australia receiving above average rainfall in May.
June & July rainfall both hit above averages with 24.6% and 1.1%, respectively. August however (the last month of winter) was significantly contrasted with a 49.5% below average record. August 2023 became the tenth-driest August since national observations began in 1990.
During Spring season months, September & October were both exceptionally dry, with September hitting 70.8% and October reaching 65.4% below the average records – even with October’s heavy rain hitting Victoria, and winter-like conditions spreading across South-Eastern Australia. September was the driest month overall since 1900, and fifth-driest October since 2002.
November deviated quite differently to its prior seasonal months. November rainfall did hit 37.8% above the 1961 – 1990 average. Rainfall reached above average for all states and territories, except Tasmania. Finally, the rainfall in December 2023 reached a 1.9% below average record, making it the fourth-warmest December on record since 1910.
Rainfall per Month in Australia 2024
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2024 Seasonal Rainfall Updates (Summer, Autumn, and Winter)
The beginning of 2024 brought significant weather events.
- Summer 2023-24:
- Australia experienced its third-warmest summer on record, with temperatures 1.62°C above average.
- Western Australia recorded its warmest summer, with heatwaves impacting much of the country.
- Rainfall was 18.9% above average, with flooding in Queensland and tropical systems in the Northern Territory.
- See more information here.
- Autumn 2024:
- Rainfall was 32.1% above average, the highest since 2011.
- Significant flooding in northern Queensland and WA due to Tropical Cyclone Megan.
- Tasmania and Victoria had among their driest autumns on record.
- See more information here.
- Winter 2024:
- Second-warmest winter in Australia’s history, with average temperatures 1.48°C above the long-term mean.
- Victoria’s warmest winter and record highs in WA’s Kimberley region.
- See more information here.
Why is Australia such a dry country?
Subtropical High Pressure
One of the main reasons for Australia being such a dry country is its location on the map. And more specifically, where it lies in relation to the equator and the two latitudes: the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn, which is where subtropical high pressures occur, as can be seen in the red shaded areas in the map below.
Image source
This is close to where the Australian desert regions fall. You’ll also notice that this is where the majority of the world’s major desert regions are located, including the Sahara Desert in Northern Africa, as well as the Atacama Desert in South America which has one of the lowest rainfalls in the world 5.
In this region of subtropical high pressures, the air that forms around the equator rises higher than usual, before eventually lowering again. In this process, the moisture in the air is lost and it warms due to a phenomenon known as compressional heating. Combined with a lack of strong winds which would blow in some moisture from nearby storms or oceans, countries, like Australia, lying in subtropical high pressure areas remain extremely dry 6.
The El Niño Affect
El Niño is a natural phenomenon which perhaps has one of the most powerful impacts on Australian climate. It forms part of a natural cycle which involves the warming of the ocean, resulting in decreased rainfall. The subsequent phase of this occurrence is known as La Niña, which is the cooling of the ocean 7.
The El Niño phase occurs when ocean temperatures in the Pacific become significantly warmer than usual, resulting in a change in atmospheric circulation 8. This phenomenon occurs at inconsistent intervals of 2 to 7 years, and can last between 9 months and 2 years at a time.
Under normal conditions (left), the Pacific Ocean experiences strong winds which blow from West to East, which pushes warm water towards Australia. This results in the ocean around Australia to increase in temperature, which adds extra heat to the air. This heat rises (as heat does), and forms clouds in the air, resulting in increased rainfall.
When El Niño occurs, on the other hand, the opposite happens, with strong winds blowing from East to West (away from Australia), resulting in cooler ocean temperatures on the Australian coast, and therefore less cloud formation and rain.
El Niño, therefore, has different effects on different regions of the world, but in Australia it results in less rainfall, warmer temperatures, greater natural fire tendencies, and reduced tropical cyclones, ultimately resulting in an overall drier country.
Droughts in Australia
Australia has been subject to spouts of drought for hundreds of years, with records showing that since the 1860s, severe drought occurs in the country on average every 18 years. The worst drought to ever affect Australia occurred fairly recently, between the years 2003 – 2012 9.
One of the main causes of drought in Australia is the lack of rainfall during certain periods, such as during an El Niño phase, as mentioned previously. Another main reason has been found to be of a man-made nature, however.
Australia has seen a decline in rainfall over the past 40 years during the winter and autumn seasons, with a scientific study by Nature Geoscience showing that this is due to greenhouse gases depleting the ozone layer. A scientific model used in the study predicts up to a 40% decrease in Australian rainfall over the next 40 years.
Floods in Australia
Despite suffering through periods of drought, flooding is a fairly common occurrence in parts of Australia and has been for a number of centuries, resulting in average damages of around $350 per person every year 10.
The most severe Australian flood on record occurred in Gundagai, NSW, as far back as 1852, which took the lives of 89 people 11. The second most severe flood occurred relatively recently in December 2010, which took the lives of 35 people in Brisbane and South East Queensland, and resulted in damages of over $2 billion.
The most common cause of floods in Australia is extreme rainfall, which can be caused by the La Niña phenomenon which is the natural cooling of the ocean, resulting in heavy and above average rainfall. This is the subsequent phase of the El Niño phenomenon, which was discussed earlier as the natural warming of the ocean. This sometimes results in Northern Australia being subject to severe tropical cyclones, resulting in serious flooding.
Predictions for the future of Australian Climate
According to projections made by the Bureau of Meteorology in 2015, Australia is expected to see an increase in average temperature of between 0.6° and 1.7° Celsius by the year 2090, under the assumption of a great reduction in the global emission of greenhouse gases 12.
To put these projected increases in context: the average temperature in Australia has increased by 0.9° over the past century, since around 1910.
Without a significant global reduction in the emission of greenhouse gases, Australia is projected to experience an increase in average temperature of between 2.8° and 5.1° Celsius by the year 2090 13.
This projected increase in average temperature under the conditions of a continuous emission of greenhouse gases is fairly close to the global average increase of between 2.6° and 4.8°. The more central areas of Australia will, however, experience higher temperature increases when compared to the coastal areas closer to the ocean 14.
Rainfall predictions per region by the Bureau of Meteorology and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO):
The South: The mainland in Southern Australia is likely to see a decrease in average rainfall, but it’s possible that average rainfall in Tasmania will increase. It’s also very likely that the duration of droughts will increase in Southern Australia, as well as an increase in natural fires 15.
The North: It has been difficult to predict an increase or decrease in Northern Australia, with CSIRO expecting there to be great variability as a result of greenhouse gas emissions over the next 10-15 years 16. As far as a prediction goes for 2090, it’s again unclear whether there will be an increase or decrease in rainfall, but significant changes in either direction are possible 17.
The East: Research shows a medium confidence in average rainfall seeing a decrease by the year 2090. But for the next 10 – 15 years, it’s said that variability in rainfall changes will be more likely than a set change in either direction 18.
As can be seen above, projected by the Bureau of Meteorology and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) shows that there won’t be a general increase or decrease in rainfall across the whole of Australia, but rather varied changes across different regions.
While the overall trend seems to have increased slightly over the past 100 years or so – meteorologists are unsure whether this trend will continue or not 19.
References
- https://www.csiro.au/en/research/environmental-impacts/climate-change/Climate-change-information
- http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/current/annual/aus/#tabs=Rainfall
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tropic_of_Cancer
- https://www.quora.com/Why-is-Australia-such-a-dry-continent-when-it-is-so-further-south-than-its-counterparts
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atacama_Desert
- https://www.britannica.com/science/subtropical-high
- http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/updates/articles/a008-el-nino-and-australia.shtml
- http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/updates/articles/a008-el-nino-and-australia.shtml
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drought_in_Australia#Droughts_in_the_19th_century
- http://www.australiangeographic.com.au/topics/history-culture/2012/03/floods-10-of-the-deadliest-in-australian-history/
- https://theconversation.com/climate-projections-show-australia-is-heading-for-a-much-warmer-future-36776
- https://theconversation.com/climate-projections-show-australia-is-heading-for-a-much-warmer-future-36776
- http://www.southwestnrm.org.au/sites/default/files/uploads/ihub/hughes-l-2003climate-change-and-australia-trends-projection.pdf
- https://www.csiro.au/en/research/environmental-impacts/climate-change/Climate-change-information
- https://www.csiro.au/en/research/environmental-impacts/climate-change/Climate-change-information
- https://www.csiro.au/en/research/environmental-impacts/climate-change/Climate-change-information
- https://www.csiro.au/en/research/environmental-impacts/climate-change/Climate-change-information
- https://www.csiro.au/en/research/environmental-impacts/climate-change/Climate-change-information