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 rainbow within a fog is called a “fogbow” and is usually white.
This image was captured by Gordon Smith on a frosty morning on
Silverton Road, 15 kms east of Armidale in May 2016
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 9 Oct: 14.5C This morning’s min 10
Oct: 9.1C
Rainfall 24 hours to 9am today 10
Oct: 6.6mm
Last
Rain: 9 Oct Next Rain:
12 Oct (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 - October 2024
Total Rainfall up to 9am on 10 Oct:
19.4 mm (average 68 mm)
This Year - 2024 up to 10 Oct:
Total Rainfall: 667.2 mm (Jan-Oct av: 611 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)
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.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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.
October in Armidale - what can we expect?
Normal conditions in October…
October is usually an “all seasons” month with warm sunny days interspersed
with occasional wintry days with the passing of cold fronts from the
south-west.
Day
temperatures often reach into the mid-twenties, nights are still cool, but
frosts are fewer and lighter.
Rainfall
is on the increase and moderate falls are possible from thunderstorms.
Average max temp: 20.9 deg
Average min temp: 5.7 deg
Average rainfall: 68.1 mm on 9
days
Average fine sunny days: 17
Average days with thunderstorms:
4 Average frosts: 6
Average hours of sunshine per day: 7.3
Hottest: 32.4 deg on 7th Oct
2019 Coldest:
-4.7 deg on 21st Oct 1986
National
Climate Centre outlook for October 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 2024. 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 October
2024 - Rainfall close to the long term average.
Maximum temperatures close to 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.