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Which Australian major city has the best weather on Australia Day?

Photo of multiple beach houses Australians love to celebrate Australia Day in the sun. We attend the thousands of events taking place in every suburb and council area right around Australia. It’s a relaxed day which we spend having a picnic, at the beach or watching the fireworks.

But, we know that rain can spoil all these festivities and the atmosphere around them. So which major Australian capital city has the best Australia Day weather?

An analysis of Australia Day weather data from the Bureau of Meteorology since 1900 has yielded some intriguing results over the 116 years.

Perth’s Australia Day’s are hardly ever rainy

Award showing that Perth has the smallest number of Rainy Australian Days

Perth arguably has the best Australia Day weather, experiencing just 8 Australia Day’s of rain since 1900 with an average of 2.9mm of rain falling on these days. It also has the highest average maximum temperature at 30.4°C with 61 of the past 116 Australia Days above 30°C.

In comparison, Sydney has experienced 51 rainy Australia Day’s, Melbourne with 28, Brisbane, 41 and Adelaide, 17.

Australia Day temperatures most consistent in Sydney

Photo showing that Sydney has the most consistent temperatures in AustraliaSydney may have recorded the rainiest Australia Day’s, but when it rains, it rains significantly less than it does Melbourne and Brisbane.

The temperatures in Sydney are much more comfortable for a day out, with average temperatures of 26.6°C over the past 116 years. Sydney has only experienced 2 Australia Days above 40°C and 13 above 30°C compared with 61 and 4 for Perth respectively.

Melbourne has had the coolest maximum temperatures

Photo showing that Melbourne has the coolest average maximum temperature in AustraliaOn the other hand, Melbourne experiences a range of temperatures, with the lowest average maximum temperature out of the 5 major capital cities, at 25.9°C. It has experienced 21 Australia Day’s where the mercury has failed to rise up 20°C but there have been 28 days of temperatures above 30°C over the past 116 years.

Brisbane experiences rainy Australia Day’s

Photo showing that Brisbane has the heaviest average rainfall when it rains in AustraliaIn Brisbane, when it rains, it pours, on Australia Day as it has the wettest rainy days out of all the capital cities, with average rainfall of 22.7mm on their rainy days, compared with 5.5mm in Adelaide and just 2.9mm in Perth.

Brisbane and Adelaide have experienced average temperatures of 29.9°C and 28.5°C respectively, with 57 days reaching above 30°C in Brisbane and 39 days in Adelaide.

Depending on your preference …

So what’s the best capital city to celebrate your Australia Day? Based on the past 116 years of data, if you’re hoping for a day that feels slightly cooler, Sydney has been typically greeting Australians with a 20°C range in temperatures, but higher likelihood of wetter weather. If you’re looking for a classic, hot Australian summer’s day, Brisbane, Perth or Adelaide is the destination where temperatures could reach above 30°C. Melbourne is probably the most unpredictable, where your Australia Day could take a chance at being hot like summer should be, or cold and wet instead.

 
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