The Weather at
Armidale NSW


A compilation of present and past weather at Armidale NSW Australia
Armidale is located on the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales, elevation 987 metres
All information from Bureau of Meteorology weather stations in Armidale

IMAGE: A cumulonimbus storm cloud developing to the north of Armidale.
Photographed from the Rologas sporting fields on 25th January 2009

Armidale Airport:  Current temperature and wind information from the airport HERE.
Note: The airport is 93 metres higher and five kilometres from the city weather station resulting in slightly different weather conditions occurring there. Winds are usually around 10 to 15 kms per hour stronger at the airport. Day temps are about one degree lower, and night and early morning temps can be around two to four degrees higher at the airport.

Armidale City Weather Station - click button below for current conditions:
Note: If temperature is shown in degrees F, go to settings icon at top right of screen and select degrees C.                                                  
    

Latest maximum/minimum temps and 24 hour rainfall, updated daily at 9.30am  (refresh page to update)

   Yesterday’s max 20 Nov:  19.5C     This morning’s min 21 Nov:  9.4C          

   Rainfall 24 hours to 9am today 21 Nov:  0.0mm

    Last Rain:  18 Nov     Next Rain:  26 Nov   (based on latest forecasts, may change)

  Armidale Forecast


Guyra Weather
   Guyra weather website


ARMIDALE LONG TERM AVERAGES & EXTREMES  Updated to 31st Dec 2023


RAINFALL CHART  for your farm/home rainfall recordings.  PDF format - printable.

This Month - November 2024
   Total Rainfall up to 9am on 21 Nov:
    78.2 mm   (average 82 mm)

This Year - 2024  up to 21 Nov:  
   Total Rainfall:  788.2 mm   (Jan-Nov av: 693 mm, annual av: 782 mm) 
   Highest Daily Rainfall:  56.2 mm on 19th Feb
   Highest Temperature:  34.8 on 25 Jan
   Lowest Temperature:  -5.5C on 24 Jul
   Hot Days - Temp 30.0C or higher:  16   (average: 16 days)
   Cold Days - Maximum below 10.0C:  11   (average: 15 days)
   Cold Mornings with Frosts:  65   (average: 97)
 


Climate Change at Armidale



CLIMATE CHANGE AT EAST ARMIDALE

1ST GRAPH:  Average temperatures for the last 43 years. The dotted line is
the ten year average.

2ND GRAPH:  Average winter temperatures for the last 44 years. The solid blue line
is the average maximum for each winter, the lower dashed blue line is the average
minimum for each year. The solid black line in the middle is the overall average.
The pale dotted black lines show the linear trend.


Weather News 2024
(using information from Armidale City weather station)

OCTOBER RAINFALL:  62.2 mm on 11 days, 6 mm lower than the average. The highest daily fall was 13.6 mm on the 16th. Details in the October 2024 Weather Review.  October 2024 daily data table.

SEPTEMBER RAINFALL:  60.4 mm on 6 days, 10 mm higher than the average, with 40 mm falling in one day - the 12th, and the remainder over the last five days of the month. Details in the September 2024 Weather Review.  September 2024 daily data table.

WARMEST WINTER ON RECORD - The winter of 2024 was Armidale’s warmest winter on record from 134 years of data. It was also unusually cloudy with fewer frosts than normal. Rainfall was slightly below average for the three winter months. Details in the Armidale. Details in the Winter 2024 Weather Review.

WARM LATE WINTER WEATHER - 21st-31st - Unseasonably warm weather affected large areas of New South Wales including the Northern Tablelands. In Armidale temperatures exceeded 20.0C on nine of the eleven final days of the month with the warmest of 24.3C on the 30th being Armidale’s highest August temperature since 24th August 2009 when it reached 27.4C. Also the minimum on the 31st of 16.4C was the highest on record for the month of August. The previous highest was 14.8C on 25th August 2009.
The unusually warm end to winter was caused by a number of low pressure troughs and fast moving fronts bringing in warm air to northern New South Wales from central Australia.

AUGUST RAINFALL:  36.4 mm on 6 days, 11 mm less than the average. The rain fell in the first 15 days with the second half of the month remaining dry. The highest daily fall was 11.8 mm on the 6th. Details in the August 2024 Weather Review.  August 2024 daily data table.

STRONG WINDS - 28th August - A cold front moved rapidly through New South Wales bringing strong to galeforce winds to southern and central areas of the state. In Armidale winds gusted to 80 kms per hour at the Airport at around midday, and up to 50 kms per hour in the Armidale valley.

JULY RAINFALL:  59.8 mm on 18 days, 13 mm higher than the average. The heaviest daily fall was 17.8 mm on the 27th. Details in the July 2024 Weather Review.  July 2024 daily data table.

COLD OUTBREAK - 15th-17th July - A deep low pressure system near Tasmania directed cold air from the Southern Ocean into New South Wales from the 15th to the 17th. Upper level cold air combined with this system to produce very low temperatures and snowfalls over the Central Tablelands, Barrington Tops and Northern Tablelands, with some light snow also falling in southern Queensland.
Snow fell in Guyra and other highland areas of the Northern Tablelands intermittently over the three days. No snow fell in Armidale.
Minimum/Maximum temperatures in Armidale:
15th: 1.7C/8.5C, 16th: 1.5C/7.6C, 17th: 2.6C/6.2C.
Strong winds on the 16th caused wind chill temperatures to drop as low as -4C during the morning.
The maximum of 6.2C on the 17th was the lowest (or coldest day) in Armidale since 10th June 2021 (5.6C).

JUNE RAINFALL:  38.0 mm on 9 days, 16 mm less than the average. Most of the rain (35.0 mm) fell in the first two weeks with the remainder of the month almost dry.  Details in the June 2024 Weather Review.  June 2024 daily data table.

MAY RAINFALL:  78.8 mm on 12 days, 37 mm higher than the average. It was the wettest May since 2009 (87.6 mm) with most of the rain falling in the first half of the month. The highest daily fall was 29.0 mm on the 11th.
Details in the May 2024 Weather Review.  May 2024 daily data table.

FIRST FROST OF THE YEAR - 18th May - The first frost for 2024 with a minimum temperature of 0.7C was recorded at 5.50am, ending a 213 day frost-free period since the last frost on 17th October 2023.

WETTEST APRIL FOR 34 YEARS - The April total of 116.2 mm on 10 days was 72 mm higher than the average, and highest for the month of April since 1990 (167 mm). The highest daily fall was 36.4 mm on the 5th.  April 2024 daily data table.

MARCH RAINFALL:  72.0 mm on 14 days, 12 mm higher than the average. The highest daily fall was 37.2 mm on the 1st. Details in the March 2024 Weather Review.  March 2024 daily data table.

SUMMER OF 2023/2024 - It was a wet and cloudy summer with temperatures well above normal. Details in the Summer 2023/2024 Weather Review.

FEBRUARY RAINFALL:  102.4 mm on 10 days, 14 mm higher than the average. The highest daily fall was 56.2 mm on the 18th.
February 2024 Weather Review.  February 2024 daily data table.

JANUARY RAINFALL:  83.8 mm on 10 days, 17 mm lower than the average. Daily falls were light except for 17.2 mm on the 18th and 40.4 mm on the 29th. 
January 2024 Weather Review.  January 2024 daily data table.

HOTTEST WEATHER FOR 3 YEARS - 22nd to 27th January - The maximum temperatures of 34.5C on 22nd January and 34.8C on 25th January were the highest for any month since 2nd December 2020 when 36.4C was recorded. The hot conditions were caused by low pressure troughs developing over inland New South Wales drawing in very warm air from central Australia.
The overnight minimum on 27th January of 20.0C was the highest minimum temperature recorded for any month since 2nd December 2020, when 20.0C was also recorded.

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Weather News 2023
(using information from Armidale City weather station)

2023 YEARLY WEATHER REVIEW - 2023 was warmer than normal but with lower than average rainfall particularly during the winter months. Details in the 2023 Yearly Weather Review here.  Includes statistics table. (PDF format - printable)

2023 TOTAL RAINFALL:  684.2 mm, 99 mm lower than the average. Rainfall was below average in all but three months - March, November and December. March was the wettest month with 165.6 mm, and September was the driest with just 4.4 mm.

DECEMBER RAINFALL:  129.2 mm on 14 days, 40 mm higher than the average. Most of the rain (102 mm) fell in the second half of the month as a result of a number of low pressure troughs developing over the state. The highest daily fall was 43.4 mm on the 20th.  Details in the December 2023 Weather Review.  December 2023 daily data table.

NOVEMBER RAINFALL:  97.6 mm on 16 days, 16 mm higher than the average. A number of low pressure troughs developed over northern New South Wales during the month contributing to the higher than normal November rainfall. The highest daily fall was 18.6 mm on the 10th. Details in the November 2023 Weather Review.  November 2023 daily data table.

OCTOBER RAINFALL:  46.8 mm on 5 days, 21 mm less than the average, and was the seventh consecutive month with below average rainfall. The highest daily fall was 34.8 mm on the 27th. Details in the October 2023 Weather Review.  October 2023 daily data table.

HAILSTORM - 27th October - Humid easterly winds feeding into a low pressure trough over north-eastern New South Wales caused the development of a large number of thunderstorms in the evening of the 26th and early hours of the 27th. Armidale experienced thunderstorms moving from the north from 10.40pm through until around 2am with hail from 12.55 to 1.10am. Hailstones 10 to 20 mm diameter were numerous enough to completely whiten the ground. Much needed rain during and following the storms totalled 34.8 mm for the 24 hours to 9am on the 27th.

SEPTEMBER RAINFALL:  4.4 mm on 3 days, 46 mm lower than the average. It was the driest September since the drought year of 2019 (1.2 mm), and was the sixth consecutive month with below average rainfall. Details in the September 2023 Weather Review.  September 2023 daily data table.

WARMEST SEPTEMBER DAY FOR 6 YEARS - 18th Sept - The maximum of 27.5C was the highest for September since 23rd September 2017 when 28.5C was recorded. The unusually warm conditions were caused by north-westerly winds drawing warm air into New South Wales from the centre of Australia.

COLDEST SEPTEMBER MORNING FOR 6 YEARS - 10th Sept - The early morning minimum of -5.4C was the lowest for September since 2nd September 2017 when -6.2C was recorded. Cold dry air in the wake of a cold front which passed through on the 8th caused the unusually chilly conditions.

WARMEST WINTER ON RECORD - The winter of 2023 was Armidale’s mildest winter on record based on maximum temperatures from 133 years of records. The average maximum for the three winter months of 15.7C was 2.3C higher than the long term average, and was the highest since 1891 when reliable temperature records commenced. The unusually warm conditions were caused by strong high pressure systems moving across northern New South Wales keeping rain bearing systems with colder temperatures to central and southern parts of the state.  
The total rainfall for the three months was 50.2 mm, 150 mm less than the average.
Details in the Winter 2023 Weather Review.

AUGUST RAINFALL:  8.8 mm on 4 days, 39 mm lower than the average. Rainfall has been below average in every month this year with the exception of March. Details in the August 2023 Weather Review.  August 2023 daily data table.

JULY RAINFALL:  15.4 mm on 6 days, 32 mm lower than the average. The rain fell in the first week with the remainder of the month dry except for 0.2 mm on the 18th. Details in the July 2023 Weather Review.  July 2023 daily data table.

WARMEST JULY DAY FOR 7 YEARS - 30th July - The maximum of 20.1C was the highest for the month of July since 20th July 2016 when 21.2C was recorded which was the highest on record for July at the present weather station site.

COLDEST MORNING FOR 5 YEARS - 20th July - The minimum of -9.2C was the lowest temperature recorded since 15th July 2018 when -10.1C was recorded. A high pressure system over New South Wales combined with very dry air resulted in many low minimum temperatures over the state. The minimum at Armidale airport was milder at -4.8C. Temperatures in the Armidale valley drop to -8.0C or lower on average of two days per year.

JUNE RAINFALL:  26.0 mm on 6 days, 29 mm lower than the average. Daily falls were all light with the exception of 15.4 mm on the 23rd. June was the third consecutive month with below average rain. Details in the June 2023 Weather Review.  June 2023 daily data table.

COLDEST MORNING FOR TWO YEARS - 21st June - The minimum temperature of -7.6C was the lowest recorded since 7th July 2021 which was also -7.6C. The chilly morning was the result of cold dry air following the passage of a front two days earlier combined with a high pressure system over New South Wales which produced clear skies overnight with no wind. The minimum at the Armidale airport was a little milder at -4.4C. Temperatures in the Armidale valley drop to -7.0C or lower on average of four days per year.

MAY RAINFALL:  12.4 mm on 2 days, 30 mm less than the average, and was Armidale’s driest month since June 2022 (10.2 mm). The rain fell over the two day period 15th-16th. Details in the May 2023 Weather Review.  May 2023 daily data table.

COLDEST MAY MORNING FOR 7 YEARS - 28th May - The minimum of -6.7C which occurred at 6.50am was the lowest for the month of May since 30th May 2016 when -7.0C was recorded. The minimum at the Armidale Airport weather station was a little higher at -3.4C. Such differences between the two weather stations are common on calm clear nights when temperature inversions develop in the Armidale valley.

FIRST FROST OF THE YEAR - 4th May - The first frost for 2023 with a screen minimum of 2.2C was recorded at 6.50am ending a frost-free period of 134 days since the last frost on 20th December 2022. The minimum temperature on the grass was -2.4C. This started a run of eleven consecutive frosts.

APRIL RAINFALL:  31.8 mm on 11 days, 13 mm less than the average. There were no major rain systems during the month, all falls were light except for a moderate fall of 16.2 mm on the 7th. Details in the April 2023 Weather Review.  April 2023 daily data table.

MARCH RAINFALL:  165.6 mm on 15 days, 99 mm higher than the average, wettest March since 2017 (201 mm). There were several moderate and heavy falls including 62.2 mm on the 29th which was the highest daily fall of rain for three years. Most of the rain for the month fell during thunderstorms.
Details in the March 2023 Weather Review.  March 2023 daily data table.

HEAVIEST RAIN FOR 3 YEARS - 28th/29th March - A low pressure trough over inland New South Wales intensified during the 28th producing thunderstorms and areas of heavy rain over the east of the state. Armidale received moderate to heavy falls in the evening of the 28th and morning of the 29th. The 24 hour total to 9am on the 29th of 62.2 mm was the highest daily fall since 18th January 2020.

SUMMER OF 2022/2023 - It was a dry summer with rainfall 103 mm lower than the average, and temperatures were unusually cool for the first three weeks. Details in the Summer 2022/23 Weather Review.

FEBRUARY RAINFALL:  64.8 mm on 10 days, 23 mm lower than the average. Most of the daily falls were light with the exception of the 27th when 27.4 mm was recorded from thunderstorms.  February 2023 Weather Review.  February 2023 daily data table.

COOLEST FEBRUARY MORNING FOR 18 YEARS - 5th February  - The minimum temperature of 3.7C recorded at 5.35am was the lowest for the month of February since 4th February 2005 when 2.5C was recorded. The unusually cool overnight conditions were caused by cool dry air being pushed north over New South Wales by a low pressure system and cold front passing over southern Australia.

JANUARY RAINFALL:  81.4 mm on 14 days, 20 mm lower than the average. The highest daily falls were 21.8 mm on the 23rd, and 21.0 mm on the 31st.
January 2023 Weather Review.  January 2023 daily data table.

TELEVISION REPORTING OF ARMIDALE’S WEATHER - Since 1st August 2015 when the Armidale city weather station ceased taking 3pm daily readings, all three television networks (ABC, NBN, Prime) in their evening weather reports report the day’s maximum and minimum temperatures from Armidale airport.
Unfortunately the airport temperatures are not as representative of conditions in the city due to its higher elevation. Overnight minimums in particular are often around 2 to 5 degrees colder at the city weather station which is located in the Armidale valley where temperature inversions are common on calm clear nights. More details on the reasons for temperatures differences between the two stations and a list of Armidale’s lowest temperatures here.
Temperatures recorded at the city weather station can be accessed from the Bureau of Meteorology after about 9.40am here: 
9am daily summary - scroll down to Northern Tablelands.
Also here after mid-afternoon:  Armidale daily observation tables.
The previous day’s maximum and the current day’s overnight minimum in the city are also shown at the top of this page after about 9.30am.


EVAPORATION - How much water is lost through evaporation every day/month/year from water storages on farms? During times of low rainfall, water loss through evaporation can be critical for the survival of pastures, crops and livestock. Evaporation readings have been taken at the East Armidale weather station since 1983, and this data has been used to build up a profile for the Armidale area of this important aspect of the weather. Details here:
Evaporation in Armidale.


IS ARMIDALE’S CLIMATE BECOMING WARMER?  Go to the bottom of this page for the 133

 year Armidale temperature graph.

SNOW IMAGES - Gallery of snow photographs taken in various locations on the Northern Tablelands over the last 30 years:
Snow images 1984 to 2015.

EBOR FALLS ICE AND SNOW (Historic Event) - In July 2007, after several mornings of sub-zero temperatures, Ebor Falls, 80 kms east of Armidale, partly froze and a mini snowfield was created by spray at the base of the falls. Photographs of this amazing event here.


Forecast Rainfall
Where will it fall, when will it fall, and how much is likely to fall?
Click HERE to access the Bureau of Meteorology's four day rainfall predictions.


This Month’s Daily Data
Click HERE for daily data for this month compiled by the Bureau of Meteorology. Data is from the city weather station at East Armidale except for wind and pressure readings which are from the Armidale Airport weather station.
More detailed daily data can be found below - Armidale Weather - Daily Data Files.


November in Armidale - what can we expect?
Normal conditions in November…

November is generally a warm month, and although temperatures may often reach the high twenties, the occasional wintry day still makes an appearance.

Rainfall is higher than in previous months, and the higher humidity levels often bring spring thunderstorms. Heavy falls of rain and hail may occur with these storms.

The frost season is over at last, but occasionally a light frost may occur following a cold front which leaves cool air and clear night skies.

Average max temp:  23.1 deg                    Average min temp:  8.9 deg
Average rainfall:  82.4 mm on 9 days          Average fine sunny days: 13
Average days with thunderstorms:  6          Average frosts:  1.3
Average hours of sunshine per day:  7.7
Hottest:  35.6 deg on 23rd Nov 2014        Coldest:  -3.0 deg on 3rd Nov 2003

Hottest at former CBD site: 36.4 deg on 19th Nov 1944

National Climate Centre outlook for November 2024:  
The El Nino Southern Oscillation is currently neutral. El Nino events usually cause lower than normal rainfall over eastern Australia along with warmer than normal temperatures in the southern two thirds of the continent, while La Nina events can cause higher than normal rainfall.
The Indian Ocean Dipole is currently neutral and expected to remain neutral until at least the end of February 2025. A positive IOD usually leads to reduced rainfall over central and south-east Australia, while a negative IOD can lead to above average rainfall.
Armidale in November 2024 - Rainfall higher than the long term average.
Maximum temperatures higher than the long term average. Minimum temperatures higher than the long term average.

 

Armidale Weather

 

 

Weather at Nearby Locations & Links to Webcams & Automatic Weather Stations (AWS)

 

DO YOU HAVE ANY PHOTOGRAPHS OF ARMIDALE'S WEATHER?  I'm always on the lookout for good weather photos for this website. If you have any which you think look good (interesting clouds, sunsets, hail, frosts, snow, floods etc) in or around Armidale, please email them to me here.

Information and statistics in these pages referring to Armidale are sourced from the Bureau of Meteorology weather station in East Armidale, station number 56037. Some data is also used from the Bureau’s automatic weather station at Armidale airport, station number 56238.

Feedback or queries: here.

 

Armidale Yearly Rainfall 1878-2023



Armidale Yearly Temperatures 1891-2023




The above graph shows the average (mean of average max and average min) temperature for each year from 1891 to 2023.
The dotted line is the ten year average which shows periods of warming and cooling.
Until 1997 temperatures were recorded in Armidale’s CBD. Temperatures recorded since 1997 at the East Armidale site have been weighted to be compatible with the earlier recordings.