This post is also available in: 简体中文 繁體中文 Deutsch
The Northern Territory has two distinct types of climate, in the northern part of the state, the one that faces the Indian Ocean, the climate is tropical. While in the southern arid regions the climate is desert-like.
In the tropical climate area that extends along the Gulf of Carpentaria and in the Arnhem Land, also including the capital of the territory, the port of Darwin, the climate is humid tropical. The climate of this area of the Northern Territory can be divided into two seasons. A cool and dry season between May and October and a hot and very rainy season between November and April. The rainiest months are between December and March. In the city of Darwin the average annual amount of rainfall is 1,700 mm.
In the northern region, temperatures are stable throughout the year and undergo minimal variations. The average maximum temperatures are stable around 31 ° C while the average minimum temperatures vary between 25 ° C in December and 19 ° C in July.
In the desert regions of the southern part of the Northern Territory, the climate is arid and dry. The rains are very scarce, the annual average rainfall is 280 mm. The relatively rainiest months are those between December and March.
In the southern regions, where the climate is desert, temperatures vary considerably both on a seasonal basis and between day and night. In Alice Springs, there are average maximum summer temperatures that reach 36 ° C in January. While, in the same month, the minimum average temperatures reach values of 21 ° C. In winter temperatures drop significantly, in the coldest month, that is in July there are minimum average temperatures of 4 ° C, while the maximum average temperatures mark 19 ° C.
WHEN TO GO TO THE NORTHERN TERRITORY
The best time to visit the tropical northern part of the Northern Territory, i.e. the area around the city of Darwin, are the months of the dry season between May and September. The semi-arid central regions can be visited at any time of the year, considering the extreme heat of the summer months and the night cold of the winter months.
THE CLIMATE OF NORTHERN TERRITORY: CLIMATE TABLES
DARWIN (5 meters) | ||||
Month | Average low (°C) | Average high (°C) | Precip. (mm) | Precip. days |
January | 24,8 | 31,8 | 423,7 | 21,3 |
February | 24,7 | 31,4 | 371,3 | 20,4 |
March | 24,6 | 31,9 | 315,2 | 19,5 |
April | 24,0 | 32,7 | 100,4 | 9,2 |
May | 22,1 | 32,0 | 21,6 | 2,3 |
June | 19,9 | 30,7 | 1,8 | 0,6 |
July | 19,3 | 30,6 | 1,1 | 0,4 |
August | 20,3 | 31,4 | 4,8 | 0,6 |
September | 23,0 | 32,6 | 15,8 | 2,4 |
October | 24,9 | 33,3 | 70,3 | 6,9 |
November | 25,3 | 33,3 | 141,3 | 12,4 |
December | 25,3 | 32,6 | 252,4 | 16,9 |
YEAR | 23,2 | 32,0 | 1719,7 | 112,9 |
ALICE SPRINGS (545 meters) | ||||
Month | Average low (°C) | Average high (°C) | Precip. (mm) | Precip. days |
January | 21,5 | 36,4 | 38,8 | 4,7 |
February | 20,7 | 35,0 | 44,3 | 4,7 |
March | 17,5 | 32,6 | 32,4 | 3,3 |
April | 12,2 | 28,2 | 16,5 | 2,1 |
May | 8,2 | 23,0 | 18,8 | 3,1 |
June | 5,0 | 19,8 | 14,0 | 2,8 |
July | 4,1 | 19,7 | 15,2 | 2,7 |
August | 6,0 | 22,6 | 9,3 | 2,0 |
September | 10,3 | 27,2 | 8,5 | 2,3 |
October | 14,8 | 30,9 | 21,7 | 4,6 |
November | 17,8 | 33,6 | 28,9 | 5,6 |
December | 20,2 | 35,5 | 37,1 | 5,7 |
YEAR | 13,2 | 28,7 | 285,9 | 43,6 |