Climate of Adelaide
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Adelaide has a hot Mediterranean climate (Koppen climate classification Csa), which generally means mild, wet winters and hot, dry summers. Of all the Australian capital cities, Adelaide is the driest. Rainfall is unreliable, light and infrequent throughout summer. The average in January and February is around 20 millimetres (0.8 inches) but completely rainless months are by no means uncommon and in 1893 sixty-nine days passed without measurable rainfall. In contrast, the winter has fairly reliable rainfall with June being the wettest month of the year, averaging around 80 mm.
In the summer, maxima average 29 °C (84 °F) but there is considerable variation and Adelaide can usually expect around 3 days a year when the daytime temperature is 40 °C or above. In January 1939, the temperature reached over 47 °C (116 °F) twice - a record for any Australian capital city. From the 3rd of March 2008, Adelaide has recorded 12 consecutive days of temperatures over 35 °C, again a record for an Australian capital. In winter from June to August, maximum average is 15-16 °C (59-61 °F) and minimum is usually around 8 °C (46 °F). Frosts are rare, with the most notable occurrences having occurred in July 1908 and July 1982. There is usually no appreciable snowfall in Adelaide, except on rare occasions at Mount Lofty and in some places in the Adelaide Hills.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean daily maximum temperature (°C) | 28.8 | 29.4 | 26.1 | 22.4 | 18.9 | 16.1 | 15.3 | 16.5 | 18.8 | 21.5 | 24.8 | 26.8 | 22.1 | |
| Mean daily minimum temperature (°C) | 16.8 | 17.2 | 15.0 | 12.2 | 10.1 | 8.2 | 7.4 | 8.2 | 9.6 | 11.3 | 13.8 | 15.5 | 12.1 | |
| Mean total rainfall (mm) | 19.2 | 13.7 | 26.2 | 38.7 | 62.6 | 83.1 | 77.8 | 68.1 | 63.6 | 48.5 | 29.6 | 26.8 | 558.1 | |
| Mean number of rain days | 4.3 | 3.4 | 5.7 | 7.9 | 12.3 | 15.4 | 16.2 | 16.4 | 13.2 | 10.8 | 8.1 | 6.7 | 120.5 | |
| Source: Bureau of Meteorology | ||||||||||||||
Recorded extremes*:
- Hottest temperature – 46.1 °C (114.9 °F)
- Coldest temperature – minus 0.4 °C (31.3 °F)
- Wettest month – June 1981, 175 mm (6.89 in.)
(*Kent Town weather station 1977-present)
[edit] 2008 Heatwave
Between March 2 and March 17, 2008, Adelaide recorded consecutive maximum temperatures of 35C or above in what was the longest heatwave recorded in an Australian capital city.
