Canberra Weather, When to Go and Climate Information

(Canberra, Australian Capital Territory - ACT, Australia)

The climate in Canberra has distinct seasons, with sunny, hot summers and cool winters. Generally it is fairly dry during the summer months of December, January and February, with these months all featuring extremely hot and sunny days. Temperatures are affected by Australia's subtropical ridge pressure systems, which bring exceptionally warm and fine weather to Canberra during the summer, with mild easterly and north-westerley winds.

As the subtropical front moves away from the Australian Capital Territory in the autumn, the climate in Canberra begins to change. During the autumn months of March, April and May, temperatures start to become cooler, particularly at night, with many cold fronts arriving. Snowfall of any description is extremely unusual during the winter and if snow does fall here, it usually melts very quickly, before it even starts to settle.


January is the hottest month, with exceptionally sunny weather and a hot climate. Temperatures in Canberra during January tend to average around 28°C / 82°F, although on the hottest days, maximum temperatures can exceed 40°C / 104°F. Rainfall is fairly minimal and historic records show that October contains the most rainy weather, while June is the driest month. During the autumn, Canberra is particularly attractive and autumn is a popular time of the year to visit the Australian Capital Territory.

Canberra generally enjoys an extremely high average of more than seven hours of sunshine every day of the year, peaking at around nine hours of sun in the summer. The hot weather, glorious sunshine and generally mild climate all combine to make this modern capital one of the most popular cities to visit in Australia.

Canberra Weather and Climate Chart (Averages)

The following are the normal daily temperature ranges for Canberra:

	Maximum	Minimum
January	28°C / 82°F	13°C / 55°F
February	27°C / 81°F	13°C / 55°F
March	24°C / 75°F	11°C / 52°F
April	20°C / 68°F	7°C / 45°F
May	15°C / 59°F	3°C / 37°F
June	12°C / 54°F	1°C / 34°F
July	11°C / 52°F	0°C / 32°F
August	13°C / 55°F	1°C / 34°F
September	16°C / 61°F	3°C / 37°F
October	19°C / 66°F	6°C / 43°F
November	23°C / 73°F	9°C / 48°F
December	26°C / 79°F	11°C / 52°F

Canberra Weather Charts - further Canberra climate statistics and charts.

Canberra Seasons

Australia's seasons are almost the opposite of seasons in the Northern Hemisphere and the seasons in Australia are as follows.

• Spring - September to November
• Summer - December to February
• Autumn / Fall - March to May
• Winter - June to August