The Climate at Armidale NSW


Altocumulus cloud drifts over a dam at sunrise near Armidale on July 8th 2003
Photography by Downunder Chasing

Armidale is located on the New England Plateau in northern New South Wales about midway between Sydney and Brisbane at an altitude ranging from 970 metres at the floor of the valley to 1070 metres above sea level at the crests of the hills. It has a cool temperate climate with the majority of rain falling in the summer months. Winters are dry, cold and frosty with the occasional snowfall. Summer days are warm but nights are usually cool. Winds are easterlies during summer and autumn, and dry westerlies during winter and spring. Average annual rainfall is 788 millimetres.

The Seasons

Summers are characterised by warm to very warm days followed almost always by cool, sometimes cold, nights. Thunderstorms often produce heavy falls of rain and occasionally hail in the afternoons and early evenings, also bringing a sudden drop in temperature to provide relief after a hot summer's day. Unlike nearby coastal areas, Armidale does not usually experience high humidity levels making most of the summer days quite comfortable. Temperatures exceed 30 degrees on average of 13 days per year, but rarely reach higher than 35 degrees.

The autumn season is described by many as the best time of year in Armidale. As the leaves turn yellow and fall, day temperatures are mostly still warm, particularly in March and April. Days are sunny, the thunderstorm season is over, and rain becomes more sporadic. Nights become colder, and residents often awake to a thick fog blanketing the Armidale valley, but by 9am the fog has cleared to be followed by a bright sunny day. The first frosts of the year usually occur in April, but are not particularly severe.

Winters are cold and bracing. Overnight temperatures often drop below minus 5 degrees with a thick white frost on the ground, and occasionally as low as minus 10 degrees. These cold frosty mornings are usually followed by sunny days, but beware of the wind. Day temperatures may make it as high as 16 degrees, but sometimes may not climb beyond 10 degrees. These are the true New England winter days with biting westerly winds, bleak grey clouds, and showers of rain and occasionally snow. Rainfalls during the winter months are usually light.

In spring temperatures are milder, although early morning frosts still continue well into October. September is usually a cool windy month, and by late October the thunderstorm season is starting with increasing rainfalls. The spring months produce the most variable weather of the year. A week of warm sunny weather can be followed by several cold days with temperatures right back at winter levels before gradually warming up again. This cycle often repeats itself many times right through until the start of summer.
 

          Climate Averages & Extremes
                                         Armidale NSW

 

NY

JAN

FEB

MAR

APR

MAY

JUN

JUL

AUG

SEP

OCT

NOV

DEC

YEAR

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

AV. DAILY MAX TEMP  deg C

27

26.4

25.5

23.4

20.0

16.3

13.0

12.4

14.1

17.4

20.5

22.5

25.0

19.7

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

AV. DAILY MIN TEMP  deg C

27

12.6

12.6

10.2

6.3

3.4

0.5

-0.4

-0.1

2.5

5.5

8.6

11.0

6.1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

AV. DAILY GRASS MIN  deg C

10

9.4

10.0

7.7

3.1

-1.2

-3.3

-4.2

-4.0

-1.0

2.1

5.9

8.0

2.7

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

HI. MAX TEMP ON REC.  deg C

27

36.3

35.8

32.6

30.2

23.5

22.3

20.0

25.2

28.2

31.5

33.1

34.8

36.3

   Day of Month/Year

 

 31/03

 3/06

 18/02

 4/86

 19/03

 7/02

24/90

19/95

29/00

19/02

10/02

19/90

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

25/02

 

 

 

 

LO. MAX TEMP ON REC. deg C

27

14.3

15.1

13.5

8.9

6.5

4.2

2.6

4.4

6.2

7.9

8.0

12.5

2.6

   Day of Month/Year

 

27/84

16/96

26/89

 12/94

29/00

23/98

 3/84

19/96

19/84

 6/83

19/86

 2/86

 

 

 

24/86

 

 

 

30/00

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

HI. MIN TEMP ON REC.  deg C

27

21.4

20.3

19.6

17.1

14.1

12.7

11.8

11.1

16.8

16.7

20.7

20.0

21.4

   Day of Month/Year

 

26/82

23/04

15/89

13/98

 2/83

 5/88

 1/81

23/88

30/00

30/88

 30/97

 11/88

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LO. MIN TEMP ON REC.  deg C

27

3.4

2.5

-0.6

-5.0

-8.8

-11.0

-10.8

-10.2

-7.0

-4.7

-3.0

-0.5

-11.0

   Day of Month/Year

 

 8/97

 4/05

13/88

30/82

23/82

25/86

 10/06

 4/94

 23/91

21/86

 3/03

 4/87

 

 

 

 

 

 

26/04

 

 

 

 

 14/92

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LO. GRASS MIN  ON REC.  deg C

22

-0.5

0.3

-4.0

-9.8

-13.1

-14.0

-15.3

-13.7

-10.5

-8.4

-6.7

-4.9

-15.3

   Day of Month/Year

 

 5/02

 4/05

23/91

26/04

23/82

20/82

 10/06

 14/02

 11/82

 2/82

 3/03

 7/02

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

26/86

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

AV. 9AM REL. HUMIDITY  %

38

64

70

70

71

77

79

77

69

60

56

58

58

68

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

AV. 3PM REL. HUMIDITY  %

38

44

47

46

47

52

58

53

46

40

41

40

41

46