Adelaide, the capital city of South Australia, has a Mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification Csa), with wet, cool winters and hot dry summers.Griffin, T. & McCaskill, M. (Editors, 1986): Atlas of South Australia. South Australian Government Printing Division in association with Wakefield Press on behalf of the South Australia Jubilee 150 Board, Adelaide.
Seasonal variation
Summer (December to February) In summer the average minimum is around 15.2 to 16.8 °C and the average maximum is around 26.4 to 28.6 °C,Weather In Adelaide "Weather In Adelaide", Tourism Australia Retrieved 28 August 2023. but there is considerable variation and Adelaide can usually expect several days a year where temperatures reach the mid/high 30s to low 40s (95 to 114 °F). On a few rare occasions the temperature has reached the mid to high 40s (115 to 120 °F). These high temperatures usually occur when hot northerly winds blow hot air down south from central Australia, causing the temperature to spike. However, like Melbourne, the summer weather can be rather changeable, as it is not uncommon to have summer days where the temperature peaks in the low 20s due to a cool south-westerly airmass off the Southern Ocean. Occasionally, the high may remain below 20 degrees, even in the peak of summer.
Rainfall is unreliable, light and infrequent throughout summer. The average in January and February is around 20mm, but completely rainless months are by no means uncommon.
Autumn (March – May) In autumn, the weather is generally mild (though warm in March). Average minimum temperatures vary between 14.8 and 9.9 °C, while maxima vary between 25.6 and 18.7 °C.
There is very little rainfall until late Autumn.
Winter (June to August) In winter the average maximum is around 15.2 to 16.1 °C and the average minimum around 7.4 to 8 °C, although temperatures again can fluctuate. Note though that the temperature rarely drops below freezing or rises above 19 °C. Frosts are common in the valleys of the Adelaide Hills, but rare elsewhere. Winter in Adelaide also sees quite a significant wind chill, which makes the apparent temperature seem colder than it actually is.
Winter has fairly reliable rainfall with June being the wettest month of the year, averaging around 80 mm. The city's dry summers are attributed to the Australian High on the Great Australian Bight.
Spring (September – November) Like Autumn, spring weather is mild, but with greater variation. Average maximum temperatures vary between 18.7 and 24.5 °C. Despite the warmer days, with little cloud cover, overnight temperatures can drop quickly, minima varying between 9.4 and 13.6 °C.
Rainfall tapers off quickly from winter into spring.
Climate data The weather station used for Adelaide's official temperatures was the West Terrace station from 1871 to 1977, and since 2017; and was the Kent Town station from 1977 to 2017; however the table below is for Adelaide Airport.
The below table is of the Kent Town site.
The below table demonstrates the effect of moderate elevation increase on Adelaide's climate.
Recorded extremes (records from West Tce weather station 1839–1977 and 2017–2025, Kent Town weather station 1977–2025 and Airport M.O. weather station 1955–2025): Hottest temperature: , 24 January 2019Greater Adelaide in January 2019: very hot and dry, Bureau of Meteorology, 1 February 2019 Coldest temperature: , 8 June 1982 Hottest Minimum: , 27 January 2026 Coldest Maximum: , 29 June 1922 Wettest month: , June 1916 Wettest 24 hours: , 7 February 1925
+Ultraviolet indexAverage solar ultraviolet (UV) Index – BOM.gov.auJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecYear12108532235710116.5
Extreme weather events: extreme temperatures, heatwaves, droughts (1908–)
January 1908 Heatwave A severe 7-day heatwave recorded at the official West Terrace weather station, began on January 13th with a maximum of 38.4°C (101°F). On January 14th, the temperature surged to 40.7°C (105°F) and remained above 40°C for a total of six consecutive days. The month included 17 days exceeding 33°C and 10 days above 40°C (104°F), with January 1908 setting the record for the most days over 40°C in any January month in Adelaide's history.
The highest temperatures recorded that month were 43.4°C, which occurred on both January 17th and January 19th.
February 2007: Average maximums not seen since 1906 The average daily maximum temperature in Adelaide for February 2007 was 32.9 °C (91.2 °F), making it the second hottest on record only behind February 1906. The month included 15 days above 33 °C (91.4 °F) and 8 above 37 °C (98.6 °F). The warmest day was the 17th with a temperature of 41.5 °C (106.7 °F).
August 2007: Highest winter temperature ever On 30 August 2007, the temperature in the city hit 30.4 °C (86.7 °F) the first and only 30 °C plus temperature recorded ever in winter, quite unusual for that time of year.
March 2008 heatwave
Between 3 March and 17 March 2008 Adelaide recorded 15 consecutive days of or above, and 13 consecutive days of or above – both records for an Australian capital city. (The record number of consecutive days of or above in any Australian city is held by Marble Bar in Western Australia, which experienced 160 consecutive days in 1923–24.)
The hottest March day ever recorded was on 12 March 1861.
This heatwave is even more exceptional because it didn't occur in summer.
January–February 2009 heatwave
During January and February 2009 Adelaide was affected by the early 2009 southeastern Australia heat wave. The heatwave broke numerous records and affected all of south-eastern Australia, including Melbourne, where some outdoor games were cancelled during the 2009 Australian Open.
The heatwave commenced in Adelaide on 26 January 2009 (Australia Day), with a temperature of . From 27 January the temperature soared above degrees for 6 consecutive days, until 2 February where the temperature dropped to . This is the longest straight run of temperatures in Adelaide. On 28 January, the third day into the heatwave, the temperature reached , making it the third-hottest day on record in Adelaide. On that same night, the temperature only dipped to , making it the highest minimum temperature on record in South Australia (since surpassed). The maximum temperatures stayed higher than for another six days, including two more 40-degree-plus days (6 and 7 February) until dropping back to on 8 February 2009.
November 2009 heatwave
In November 2009 Adelaide was affected by the late 2009 southeastern Australia heatwave which occurred in the states of South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales. Daily maximum temperatures during the heat wave were roughly above average in many locations. Capital cities Adelaide and Melbourne recorded temperatures over and , respectively, which are unusual for November. Above-average temperatures in the region began in late October and persisted until mid-November 2009.
Temperature records for November in Adelaide set during the heatwave:
10 consecutive days over . 8 consecutive days over – new record set on 13 November, breaking the previous record of 4 consecutive days, which was set in 1894. 6 consecutive days over – breaking the previous record of 3 consecutive days, which was set in 1888, 1922 and 1984. Hottest November day – on 19 November 2009 at 4:32pm ACDT, breaking the previous record of set on 13 November 1993.
Summer 2013–2014 heatwave
The summer of 2013–2014 was the second-hottest on record. Records for Adelaide set during the 2013–2014 summer heatwave (beginning in December) include:Bureau of Metereology says heavy rains on way across South Australia on Friday, after scorching heat, The Australian, 12 February 2014
Hottest February day – on 2 February 2014. Record number of days exceeding during the summer months (December, January and February) – 13. Record number of days exceeding during a calendar year – 10. Record number of consecutive days exceeding – 5.
Autumn 2014: Above average temperatures for Adelaide
Autumn 2014 was the fourth-warmest on record in South Australia, and included a record run of 16 consecutive days in May with maximum temperatures over 20 °C within the city and metro areas.BoM: Adelaide Metro & Hills in May 2014: A warm end to autumn Accessed 5 June 2014.
In the 15 days from the 11th to 25 May the average maximum temperature was 24 °C (75.2 °F), compared with the usual 18.5 °C (65.3 °F) for that time of year.
Spring 2015: hottest October on record and 2nd warmest spring on record
October 2015 in Adelaide was the warmest on record for the city, continuing the trend of record breaking heat in the 2010s. The temperature was approximately degrees above the long term average. Rainfall was also scarce for the month with only being recorded.
November was also hotter than usual with daytime temperatures averaging and temperatures reaching on the 18th, the second earliest ever. Spring 2015 daytime maximum temperatures ended up averaging , the second highest on record just falling short of 1914.
December 2015: Hottest December on record and second heatwave for the summer In early December, Adelaide experienced its hottest December night since 1897 and another heatwave–the temperature did not drop below until 4am on 7 December.
Following one of Adelaide's hottest nights on record, in mid December 2015, temperatures soared above 40 °C (104 °F) for 4 consecutive days between the 16th and 19th, with the warmest being the 19th at 43.2 °C (109.8 °F). December 2015 ended up being the warmest on record with daily maximum temperatures averaging 32.5 °C (90.5 °F) and 7 days above 40 °C (104 °F). This continues the trend that Adelaide has experienced since the early 2000s of summer heat exceeding maximum temperatures and breaking records. The heatwave in December 2015 marked Adelaide's record of five heatwaves in six years.
March 2016 heatwave In early March, Adelaide endured 9 consecutive days in which the temperature reached above . On 5, 6 and 8 March, the temperature approached maximums of and degrees. Rain during this period increased the humidity level in the city, and flash flooding was recorded in the suburbs, as temperatures dropped back into the high 20s on 9 March.
15 of the first 17 days of March 2016 recorded temperatures above 30 °C (86 °F), the second half of the month was quite cooler though.
Hottest Christmas Day in 75 years and February 2017 heatwave On 25 December 2016, Adelaide experienced its hottest Christmas Day since 1941. The temperature reached . That following February, temperatures recorded in Adelaide climbed above for 3 consecutive days, with the minimum overnight temperature not dropping below on 9 February. Blackouts across the city complicated the conditions further.
Winter 2017: Equal lowest June rainfall in Adelaide's recorded history Adelaide recorded its second driest June in recorded history, and the driest in 59 years. Less than 10mm fell in the entire month compared to the average of 71.2mm, with Adelaide city recording only 6mm, the equal lowest monthly rainfall total for any winter month in recorded history. Agricultural regions across South Australia were also affected, experiencing the third driest winter on record.
Summer 2017–2018: fourteen consecutive days above 30 degrees and various heatwaves Summer 2017–18 was another hot summer for Adelaide. Beginning on 15 January 2018, the daytime temperature in Adelaide did not drop below with forecasts of temperatures above up until 29 January. Two of these days, 18 January and 19 January, reached temperatures of above , while three days recorded temperatures at or above resulting in a heatwave. The last day of this heatwave, the 28th, reached 41.8 °C (107.2 °F) at the Adelaide (West Terrace) observation station and 44.1 °C (111.4 °F) at the Adelaide (Kent Town) station, located on the eastern side of the city.