July was warm and dry with the average maximum temperature in Australia the second hottest on record and rainfall the lowest for 16 years.

August 1, 2018

If you found yourself reaching for the winter woollies a little less this year, it’s probably because July’s average maximum temperature was the second-warmest on record.

Across Australia, the mean maximum temperature was 2.22 degrees Celsius above the average but below last year’s record of 2.63C above the average.

Bureau of Meteorology climatologist Ian Barnes-Keoghan says Australia’s daytime maximum temperatures were warm across the majority of mainland Australia during July.

“Really it was only Tasmania that wasn’t in the top 10 (of records),” Mr Barnes-Keoghan said on Wednesday.

Western Australia, the Northern Territory and South Australia all recorded average maximum temperatures 2.3C or higher above the average.

NSW experienced mean maximum temperatures 2.23C above the average, with Queensland and Victoria recording mean maximum temperatures 1.99C and 1.18C above the average respectively.

The hottest day for July was recorded in Western Australia’s north at Kalumburu with a maximum temperature of 38.5C.

Perisher Valley in NSW recorded the coldest night with the mercury dropping to minus 12.1C.

July was also the driest nationwide since 2002 with below-average rainfall recorded in all states and territories except Tasmania.

Mr Barnes-Keoghan said the low rainfall continued the dry period seen across much of Australia.

“(It’s been) quite a dry start to the year and quite a dry start especially to the southern wet season,” Mr Barnes-Keoghan said.

Tasmania was hit by several strong cold fronts and recorded its eighth-highest July rainfall, up 47 per cent on the average with 233.4 mm falling.

The Northern Territory experienced the lowest rainfall nationally with just 0.2mm falling in the gauge, 98 per cent lower than its average rainfall for July.

Mr Barnes-Keoghan said August and September will continue to be drier and warmer than average.