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 misty autumn sunrise over a field in north-east Armidale on 20 March 2007
©Image by Juergen Broehmer

 

 


The rural city of Armidale has two weather stations operated by the Bureau of Meteorology - the city weather station which is located in the Armidale valley at East Armidale, elevation 987 metres, and the airport weather station which is five kilometres to the south west, elevation 1,079 metres.
The city station is manually operated reporting at 9am daily. The airport station is automated and reports to the Bureau every ten minutes.
Unless otherwise specified, all information in these pages is sourced from the Armidale city weather station.
Further details on Armidale’s weather stations here.


Armidale Airport:  Current temperature and wind information from the airport HERE.
Note: The airport is 92 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 9.30-10am  (refresh page to update)
  
   Yesterday’s max 2 Apr:  26.1C     This morning’s min 3 Apr:  9.7C         

   Rainfall 24 hours to 9am today 3 Apr:  0.0 mm

    Last Rain:  27 Mar     Next Rain:  5 Apr  (based on latest forecasts, may change)

  Armidale Forecast


Guyra Weather
   Guyra weather website



Reviews & Charts

ARMIDALE SUMMER 2025/26 WEATHER REVIEW  PDF format - printable


ARMIDALE FEBRUARY 2026 WEATHER REVIEW  PDF format - printable


ARMIDALE 2025 ANNUAL WEATHER REVIEW  PDF format - printable


ARMIDALE LONG TERM AVERAGES & EXTREMES  Updated to 2025          


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

This Month - April 2026
   Total Rainfall up to 9am on 3 Apr:
   0.0 mm   (average 45 mm)

This Year - 2026  up to 3 Apr: 
   Total Rainfall:  124.2 mm   (Jan-Apr av: 302, annual av: 784 mm) 
   Highest Daily Rainfall:  21.8 mm on 22 Feb
   Highest Temperature:  36.4C on 26 Jan
   Lowest Temperature:  5.0C on 30 Mar
   Hot Days - Temp 30.0C or higher:  20   (average: 17 days)
   Cold Days - Maximum below 10.0C:  0   (average: 13 days)
   Cold Mornings with Frosts:  0   (average: 96)
 


Weather News 2026
(using information from Armidale City weather station)


MARCH RAINFALL TOTAL:  18.6 mm on 9 days, 49 mm lower than the average. Rainfall has been below average in the first three months of 2026 with only 48 per cent of the normal rainfall recorded for this period.
March 2026 daily data table.

COLDEST MARCH DAY FOR 37 YEARS - 27th March - The maximum temperature of 14.1C was the lowest maximum for the month March since 26th March 1989 (which recorded 13.5C). The unusually low temperatures were caused by cold blustery westerly winds following a severe cold front which passed through in the early hours of the morning. The system brought with it 3.4 mm of rain.

SUMMER OF 2025/2026 - Rainfall was well below average while temperatures were warmer than normal. Details in the Summer 2025/2026 Weather Review.

FEBRUARY RAINFALL:  55.8 mm on 11 days, 32 mm less than the average. The highest daily fall was 21.8 mm on the 21st from a thunderstorm.
Details in the February 2026 Weather Review.  February 2026 daily data table.

JANUARY RAINFALL:  49.8 mm on 11 days, 51 mm less than the average. The highest daily fall was 12.6 mm on the 18th.
Details in the January 2026 Weather Review.  January 2026 daily data table.

HOTTEST DAY FOR 5 YEARS - 26th January - A low pressure trough over north-western New South Wales directed very hot air over the state from the centre of Australia with temperatures reaching the mid forties in many areas west of the Divide. In Armidale the maximum was 36.4C, highest since 2nd December 2020 when 36.4C was also recorded. At Armidale airport on the 26th the maximum was slightly higher at 36.8C.


Weather News 2025
(using information from Armidale City weather station)

THIRD WARMEST YEAR ON RECORD - 2025 was Armidale’s third warmest year on record (from 135 years of available data) with the mean temperature for the year exceeding the long term average by 1.40C. The warmest year was 2024, and the second warmest was 2019. Calculated from using the mean of both maximum and minimum temperatures recorded throughout each year. Armidale’s five warmest years occurred in the last 12 years which is all part of an overall warming trend across the globe.
Details in the 2025 YEARLY WEATHER REVIEW. Includes statistics table. (PDF format - printable)

2025 TOTAL RAINFALL:  962.4 mm, 179 mm higher than the average. January was the wettest month with 147.0 mm, and June was the driest with 20.6 mm. See graph at right.

DECEMBER RAINFALL:  101.4 mm on 8 days, 12 mm higher than the average. Most of the rain fell in the first 12 days, the highest daily fall was 43.4 mm on the 11th.  Details in the December 2025 Weather Review.  December 2025 daily data table.

NOVEMBER RAINFALL:  98.2 mm on 14 days, 16 mm higher than the average. Most of the rain fell during thunderstorms with the highest daily fall being 21.2 mm on the 26th.  Details in the November 2025 Weather Review.  November 2025 daily data table.

WARMEST OCTOBER ON RECORD - Based on maximum temperatures October 2025 was the warmest October on record. The average maximum of 24.6C was the highest of record (from 134 years of records since 1891). The previous warmest Octobers were in 2019 and 1896. The unusually warm temperatures were the result of numerous low pressure troughs directing very warm air into New South Wales from the centre of Australia.

OCTOBER RAINFALL:  50.0 mm on 5 days, 18 mm less than the average. The majority of the rain (35.4 mm) fell over two days - the 28th and 29th. Details in the October 2025 Weather Review.  October 2025 daily data table.

COLDEST OCTOBER DAY FOR 13 YEARS - 28th October - The maximum temperature of 10.6C was the lowest for the month of October since 12th October 2012 when 7.7C was recorded. This was the result of two weather systems - a low pressure trough generating cloud and rain over northern New South Wales combined with a cold southerly change moving into the north of the state during the day.

WARMEST OCTOBER DAY FOR 6 YEARS - 21st October - The maximum temperature of 32.2C was the highest for the month of October since 7th October 2019 when 32.4C was recorded. Temperatures over 30.0C in October are uncommon, and on this occasion it was caused by north-westerly winds bringing in very warm air from the centre of Australia ahead of a cold front which passed through eastern New South Wales the following day, the 22nd.

SEPTEMBER RAINFALL:  40.2 mm on 6 days, 10 mm less than the average. There were two moderate rain events - 10th-11th (18.0 mm), and 19th-20th (20.6 mm). Details in the September 2025 Weather Review.  September 2025 daily data table.

COLDEST SEPTEMBER DAY FOR 14 YEARS - 11th September - Cold south-westerly winds following the passage of a cold front the previous day resulted in a windy cold day with a maximum temperature of just 9.1C. This was the lowest maximum for the month of September since 9th Sep 2011 (8.1C).

WINTER 2025 - It was a cloudy wet winter with less sunshine than normal and fewer frosts than normal. Day temperatures were close to normal, but overnight temperatures were higher than normal. Details in the Armidale Winter 2025 Weather Review.

AUGUST RAINFALL:  93.0 mm on 8 days, 45 mm higher than the average, and was the wettest August since 2016 (143.0 mm). The majority of the rain fell in two events: 1st-4th: 56 mm, and 20th-21st: 35.8 mm. More details in the August 2025 Weather Review.  August 2025 daily data table.

NORTHERN TABLELANDS HEAVY SNOWFALLS - 2nd August - Snow fell over a wide area of the Northern Tablelands during the day. In Armidale a winter wonderland scene presented itself to residents as large snowflakes fell from around 9.30am. By 11am snow had started to settle on the ground and there was a thick cover by 4pm, depth on open ground varying between around 6 to 10 cm. After eight continuous hours the snow stopped falling at around 5.30pm.
The snow also extended south to Walcha and the Moonbi Range, east along the Snowy Range to Ebor, north to Guyra, Glen Innes, and across the border to the Granite Belt with light falls around the Stanthorpe area, and also west to Bundarra and the Narrabri area. The New England Highway was closed north and south of Armidale, and also the Waterfall Way east to Ebor due to snow and fallen trees on the roads. Many areas also experienced loss of electricity for extended periods due to fallen trees across power lines.
The following morning, 3rd August, snow remained on the ground throughout the city before gradually melting throughout the day. Depth at the weather station at 9am: 6 cm.
The snowfalls were the result of upper level cold air over northern New South Wales combined with moisture from the east along a surface low pressure trough associated with an intense low pressure system off the New South Wales North Coast. This was Armidale’s heaviest snowfall since the big snow event on 3rd-4th July 1984.
From 9.30am for the remainder of the day the temperature stayed between zero and 1.5C. The maximum (9am to midnight) of 2.5C occurred at 9.00am, and was the lowest maximum temperature on record for any month (from 86 years of available records). The previous lowest was 2.6C on 3rd July 1984 recorded at the East Armidale site, and 2.6C on 22nd June 1949 recorded at the Armidale Post Office.

JULY RAINFALL:  79.2 mm on 13 days, wettest July since 2012. Most of the rain fell during the second half of the month, the highest daily fall was 24.8 mm on the 18th.  Details in the July 2025 Weather Review.  July 2025 daily data table.

COLDEST MORNING FOR 2 YEARS - 17th July - The minimum of -7.1C recorded at 6.30am was Armidale city’s lowest temperature since 20th July 2023 when -9.2C was recorded. The cold conditions were caused by clear skies with no wind throughout the night and early morning. The minimum at Armidale Airport was a milder -2.0C as the result of a temperature inversion, a common event on calm clear winter nights where cold air drainage causes temperatures in valleys to be colder than nearby higher areas.

JUNE RAINFALL:  20.6 mm on 8 days, 34 mm less than the average. Daily falls were mostly light with the highest daily fall being 7.4 mm on the 25th. Details in the June 2025 Weather Review.  June 2025 daily data table.

COLD OUTBREAK AND SNOW - 9th June - Very cold, windy and showery conditions affected the Northern Tablelands with light snowfalls in the higher areas including Black Mountain, Guyra and Ben Lomond. In Armidale there was no snow apart from a few snowflakes mixed with rain showers during the morning. The extreme weather conditions were the result of very cold south-westerly winds following a front and low pressure trough combined with upper level cold air. The maximum temperature in Armidale on the 9th was 7.4C, although it felt much colder due to the strong westerly winds.

UNUSUALLY CLOUDY MAY WEATHER CREATES NEW RECORDS - A high number of low pressure troughs affected New South Wales during the month generating a greater than normal number of cloudy days and nights. These conditions resulted in the following new records for the month of May.
Average minimum temperature for the month of 7.4C was the highest on record at the East Armidale site (long term average 3.0C from 44 years of records). The previous highest was 7.0C in 1989.
Frosts - only two frosts occurred, lowest on record (long term average 14 frosts from 44 years of records). The previous May lowest was 4 frosts in 1992. The first frost on the 24th also created a new record for the latest start to the frost season. The previous record was 22nd May 1989.
Sunny days - there were only 4 sunny days, lowest on record (long term average 15 days from 40 years of records). The previous lowest for May was 6 days in 1991 and 1995.

MAY RAINFALL:  73.8 mm on 21 days, 31 mm higher than the average. Most daily falls were light with the exception of 34.4 mm on the 22nd. 
Details in the May 2025 Weather Review.  May 2025 daily data table.

FIRST FROST OF THE YEAR - 24th May - The first frost for 2025 with a minimum temperature of 1.3C was recorded in the early morning, ending a 241 day frost-free period since the last frost on 24th September 2024. This was the latest start to the Armidale frost season on record at the present weather station site from 44 years of records. The previous record was 22nd May 1989.

RAIN EVENT - 19th-22nd May - An intense low pressure trough developed off the New South Wales Hunter coast on the 19th generating flooding rains to the Newcastle region. The trough moved north to the Mid-North Coast on the 20th producing further heavy rain on the 20th, 21st and 22nd resulting in devastating floods, particularly around the Taree area with over 300 mm recorded in some areas.
Armidale was on the northern edge of this system recording 46.6 mm of rain over the 19th to 22nd.

APRIL RAINFALL:  104.4 mm on 11 days, 59 mm higher than the average. Most of the rain fell in two events - from the 1st to the 3rd (33 mm), and from the 21st to the 27th (69 mm), with the highest daily fall being 41.8 mm on the 27th.  April 2025 Weather Review.  April 2025 daily data table.

EVENING DOWNPOUR - 26th April - A low pressure trough over northern inland New South Wales combined with humid easterly winds off the Tasman Sea produced areas of heavy rain and thunderstorms over the north of the state. Armidale city recorded its highest daily fall of rain so far this year with 41.8 mm recorded for the 24 hours to 9am on the 27th. Most of this rain (approx 36 mm) fell between 5pm and 10pm on the 26th. Armidale airport recorded a slightly lower total for the 24 hours of 34.6 mm, and Guyra recorded 25 mm.

WET START TO APRIL - 1st-3rd April - A low pressure trough over inland Queensland moved south to the New South Wales border region on 1st April bringing moderate falls of rain to the north-east third of New South Wales on the 1st, 2nd and 3rd. Armidale recorded a total of 35.0 mm over this period, and Guyra recorded 39 mm.

MARCH RAINFALL:  104.4 mm on 17 days, 37 mm higher than the average. The highest daily fall was 24.8 mm on the 29th.  Details in the March 2025 Weather Review.  March 2025 daily data table.

RAIN EVENT - 28th-30th March - A low pressure system which formed over southern Queensland on Friday the 28th moved into New South Wales on the 29th moving rapidly through the inland of the state and out into the Tasman Sea off the south coast on the 30th. This system brought flooding rains to areas of both inland Queensland and New South Wales. In Armidale the total rain for the two days ending 9am on the 30th was 34.4 mm.

TROPICAL CYCLONE ALFRED - 8th-10th March - The cyclone crossed the Queensland coast just north of Brisbane on 9th March with heavy rainfall and strong winds. Severe flooding occurred in many areas including the New South Wales north coast. Some of the rain from the cyclone made its way onto the Northern Tablelands with Dorrigo recording over 800 mm on the 8th, 9th and 10th March. Armidale recorded 28 mm during this same period, and Guyra recorded 40 mm.

SUMMER OF 2024/2025 - Rainfall was close to average while temperatures were warmer than normal. Details in the Summer 2024/2025 Weather Review.

FEBRUARY RAINFALL:  50.2 mm on 6 days, 38 mm less than the average, most of it falling from thunderstorms. The highest daily fall was 24.6 mm on the 12th.
Details in the February 2025 Weather Review.  February 2025 daily data table.

JANUARY RAINFALL:  147.0 mm on 16 days, 46 mm higher than the average. Most of the rain fell during thunderstorms. The highest daily fall was 31.2 mm on the 29th.  Details in the January 2025 Weather Review.  January 2025 daily data table.

SEVERE HAILSTORM - 23rd January - A severe thunderstorm with large hail passed over Armidale from the south-west between 5.00 and 5.45pm. Large hailstones fell from 5.10 to 5.20pm. Most of the hailstones were around 30 mm diameter or less, but there were a number of hailstones measuring up to 40mm diameter or golf ball size. By the end of the storm 10 per cent to 90 per cent of the ground was covered by hail depending on which part of the city you live. Many of the smaller hailstones were spherical or egg shaped, but the larger ones over 30mm in diameter were irregular shaped, often a jagged conglomeration of several hailstones fused together while forming in the storm cloud. Cars, roofs, skylights, outdoor furniture and gardens all suffered damage in varying degrees. After the storm cleared Armidale it continued in a north-north-easterly direction depositing hail on rural properties and also Black Mountain village, before dissipating east of Guyra.  The severe storm was caused by a lingering intense low pressure trough over north-east New South Wales. Heavy rain accompanied the storm with the Armidale city weather station recording 19.4 mm of rain and melted hail between 4.50 and 5.25pm. Armidale airport recorded 10.2 mm for the same period.
This was the sixth severe hailstorm to hit Armidale in the last 30 years. Details of the previous five events here.

COOLEST JANUARY DAY FOR 9 YEARS - 17th January - The maximum temperature of 16.5C was 10C below the long term average, and was the lowest January maximum since 3rd January 2016 when it was 16.2C. The unusually chilly summer day was the result of cool south-easterly winds following a low pressure trough which moved through north-eastern New South Wales on the 16th.

FOR WEATHER NEWS FROM PREVIOUS YEARS go to the Weather News Archive.

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 134 year Armidale temperature graph.

SNOW IMAGES - Gallery of snow photographs taken in various locations on the Northern Tablelands since 1984:
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 sourced from the Armidale Airport weather station.
More detailed daily data can be found HERE.


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

April often brings some of New England’s more pleasant weather claimed by many to be the “best time of the year” - cool mornings followed by warm sunny days with light winds - the “golden days” of autumn. As a reminder that winter is on the way, the first frosts of the year normally occur during the month but are usually light. Winds are generally light easterlies, although westerly winds are gradually on the increase. Rainfall is low - April is the second driest month of the year after May.
Average max temp:  20.1 deg                   Average min temp:  6.6 deg
Average rainfall:  45.2 mm on 8 days         Average fine sunny days: 15
Average days with thunderstorms:  1         Average frosts:  5
Average hours of sunshine day per:  6.2
Hottest:  30.2 deg on April 4th 1986        Coldest:  -5.8 deg on April 30th 2008

 

National Climate Centre outlook for April 2026:  
The El Nino Southern Oscillation Index is close to neutral meaning little effect on Australia’s weather. La Nina events (sustained positive SOI values) can cause higher than normal rainfall over eastern Australia, while El Nino events (sustained negative SOI values) usually cause lower than normal rainfall along with warmer than normal temperatures in the southern two thirds of the continent,
The Indian Ocean Dipole is currently close to neutral, and expected to remain neutral until at least the end of autumn. A negative IOD can lead to above average rainfall over central and south-east Australia, while a positive IOD usually leads to reduced rainfall.
Armidale in April 2026 - Rainfall close to 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.

 

 







The above graph shows the average (mean of average max and average min) temperature for each year from 1891 to 2025.
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.