Canberra, our bush capital in the Australian Capital Territory is the capital of Australia. Canberra is located inland approximately 150 kilometres away from the beaches of south east coast of Australia. Canberra is a great place to live or to holiday at any time of the year. Canberra is a popular destination year round with summer showing visitors Canberra’s vast outdoors, winter being a major stopover for many heading to the snow and spring when Floriade, our flower and entertainment festival takes place.
Canberra has daylight savings throughout October to April each year which extends it’s sunshine and daylight by an hour each day during this time. The weather forecast for Canberra changes and varies from season to season. You can check out the Canberra weather statistics on the Australia website.
Canberra’s climate
The local weather in Canberra changes vastly from season to season. From hot, dry summers and cool, chilly winters. Canberra sees all four seasons from one extreme to the next. Whatever season you are in while you’re in Canberra, the atmosphere of the ACT is lovely year round.
Canberra’s hottest month of the year
January is Canberra’s hottest month on record over time. The average temperatures in January in Canberra is 28 °c degrees. It’s mostly a dry heat with a mild case of humidity. Though this average weather does not seem too crazy, Canberra has experienced major heatwaves in the past where we have had up to a maximum temperature of 43 °c degrees in a day. According to Current Results, these particular heat waves generally occur in January but we have experienced extreme heat in the months of December and February as well. While summer holds the hottest month of the year, they are also the most pleasant nights as well with minimum temperatures dropping to 13.2 °c degrees. This decrease in temperature means you can enjoy daylight saving time after 5pm much more than you might possibly during the middle of the day.
Canberra’s coldest month of the year
July is Canberra’s coldest month on record over time. The average minimum temperature in July in Canberra is 11.4 °c degrees during the day with some nights nights reaching below zero. The coldest Canberra has been over the past 12 years is minus 8 °c degrees. While July has mostly been the coldest month over time, June and August have been close second and third with some of the coldest days recorded in those months over the years. Canberran’s are used to wearing many layers to get through the cold months here.
Does it snow in Canberra?
It’s not a common thing that happens in Canberra during winter here. It has been known to show occasionally but it’s usually just a sprinkling that doesn’t usually settle on the ground. Usually never enough to claim that you can ski on it or even have a snow ball fight. If you’re after snow, you can visit Corin Forest during winter for snow play and skiing and snowboarding for beginners. If you’re after snow play that is a bit more advanced than beginners, Canberra is three hours away from the Snowy Mountains within the Australian Alps, where you will find ski fields and resorts such as Thredbo, Perisher and Selwyn Snow Resort.
What is the Ultraviolet (UV) Index in Canberra?
The Canberra weather forecast has a high UV rating and intensity within the warmer months in summer. While the other months, the UV rating is lower, it does not mean you cannot be sunburnt when the rating is low. We suggest you protect yourself from sun damage from sunrise to sunset with sunscreen that is rated at least SPF30+ and place yourself in the shade when you can during outdoor activities.
Weather Warnings in Canberra
When you visit Canberra, we suggest you look up the forecast in Canberra for during your time here. It might be worth packing a waterproof jacket if you’re planning on being out in the elements, rain, hail or shine.
Bushfires
Australia’s capital has been subject to some major weather warnings over the years but they have been out of the ordinary moments that have occurred. In January 2003, Canberra was subject to it’s worst bushfire yet. This bushfire was ignited by a lighting strike that occurred 10 days before then taking out nearly 500 homes and killing four people. In January 2020, Canberra experienced a similar level of panic, with the ‘Black Summer Bushfires’. This particular set of bushfires spanned across the entire country, Canberra was lucky to have no fatalities or homes lost.
Hail storms
Hail storms in Canberra are an uncommon meteorological occurrence though weather data does suggest that Canberra has been subject to seasonal hail storms that mostly take place during our summer in January. Just after Canberra’s scare of the ‘Black Summer Bushfires’ in January 2020, Canberra was then knocked around with a terrible hail storm not long after that saw over 44,500 cars damaged from the hail storm impact. In 2016, Canberra also had weather reports of hail which did not result in as much damage reported to the Emergency Services Agency.
Rainfall
Canberra is known to get a moderate amount of precipitation though Canberra does not statistically speaking get as much rain as some of the other capital cities around Australia. The month of November is a wet month that statistically speaking has more rainfall per mm while July and August have higher days of rain than November does but less rainfall in total.
If you’re unsure on how to dress for the weather conditions, check the local weather forecast for the latest temperature and rainfall predictions for the week ahead.