The Weather at
Armidale NSW
A compilation of present and past weather at Armidale
NSW Australia
Armidale is
located on the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales, elevation 987 metres
All information from Bureau of Meteorology weather stations in Armidale
IMAGE: An autumn scene in the grounds of
the University of New England
Image by Juergen Broehmer
Armidale Airport: Current temperature and wind information from
the airport HERE.
Note: The airport is 93 metres higher and five kilometres
from the city weather station resulting in slightly different weather
conditions occurring there. Winds are usually around 10 to 15 kms per hour stronger at the airport. Day temps are about
one degree lower, and night and early morning temps can be around two to four
degrees higher at the airport.
Armidale City Weather Station -
click button below for current conditions:
Note -
this link is intermittently off-line
Note: If temperature is shown in degrees F, go to settings icon at top
right of screen and select degrees C.
Latest maximum/minimum temps and 24 hour rainfall, updated daily
9.30-10am (refresh page to update)
Yesterday’s max 22 Apr: 15.1
This morning’s min 23 Apr: 10.1C
Rainfall 24 hours to 9am today 23
Apr: 3.6mm
Last
Rain: 23 Apr Next
Rain: 25 Apr (based on latest
forecasts, may change)
Armidale Forecast
Guyra Weather
Guyra
weather website
ARMIDALE LONG TERM AVERAGES & EXTREMES Updated to 31st Dec 2024
RAINFALL CHART for your farm/home rainfall recordings. PDF format - printable.
This Month - April 2025
Total Rainfall up to 9am on 23 Apr:
57.4 mm (average 45 mm)
This Year - 2025 up to 23 Apr:
Total Rainfall: 359.0 mm (Jan-Apr av: 301 mm, annual
av: 783 mm)
Highest Daily
Rainfall: 31.2 mm
on 30th Jan
Highest Temperature: 33.4 on 28 Jan
Lowest Temperature: 1.9C on 8 Apr
Hot Days - Temp 30.0C or higher: 11 (average: 17 days)
Cold Days - Maximum below 10.0C: 0 (average: 15 days)
Cold Mornings with Frosts: 0
(average: 97)
Climate Change at Armidale
CLIMATE CHANGE AT EAST ARMIDALE
1ST GRAPH: Average temperatures for the
last 44 years. The dotted line is
the ten year average.
2ND GRAPH: Average yearly summer
temperatures for the last 44 years. The dotted lines show the linear trend.
Weather News 2025
(using information from Armidale City weather
station)
WET START TO APRIL -
1st-3rd April - A low pressure trough over inland Queensland
moved south to the New South Wales border region on 1st April bringing moderate
falls of rain to the north-east third of New South Wales on the 1st, 2nd and
3rd. Armidale recorded a total of 35.0 mm over this period, and Guyra recorded 39 mm.
MARCH RAINFALL: 104.4 mm on 17 days,
37 mm higher than the average. The highest daily fall was 24.8 mm on the
29th. Details in the March 2025 Weather Review. March 2025 daily
data table.
RAIN EVENT - 28th-30th March - A low pressure system which formed over
southern Queensland on Friday the 28th moved into New South Wales on the 29th
moving rapidly through the inland of the state and out into the Tasman Sea off
the south coast on the 30th. This system brought flooding rains to areas of
both inland Queensland and New South Wales. In Armidale the total rain for the
two days ending 9am on the 30th was 34.4 mm.
TROPICAL CYCLONE ALFRED - 8th-10th March - The cyclone crossed the
Queensland coast just north of Brisbane on 9th March with heavy rainfall and
strong winds. Severe flooding occurred in many areas including the New South
Wales north coast. Some of the rain from the cyclone made its way onto the
Northern Tablelands with Dorrigo recording over 800 mm on the 8th, 9th and 10th
March. Armidale recorded 28 mm during this same period, and Guyra
recorded 40 mm.
SUMMER OF 2024/2025 - Rainfall was close to average while temperatures were
warmer than normal. Details in the Summer 2024/2025 Weather Review.
FEBRUARY RAINFALL: 50.2 mm on 6
days, 38 mm less than the average, most of it falling from thunderstorms. The
highest daily fall was 24.6 mm on the 12th.
Details in the February 2025 Weather Review. February
2025 daily data table.
JANUARY RAINFALL: 147.0 mm on
16 days, 46 mm higher than the average. Most of the rain fell during
thunderstorms. The highest daily fall was 31.2 mm on the 29th. Details in the January
2025 Weather Review. January 2025 daily data table.
SEVERE HAILSTORM - 23rd January - A severe thunderstorm with large hail passed
over Armidale from the south-west between 5.00 and 5.45pm. Large hailstones
fell from 5.10 to 5.20pm. Most of the hailstones were around 30 mm diameter or
less, but there were a number of hailstones measuring up to 40mm diameter or
golf ball size. By the end of the storm 10 per cent to 90 per cent of the
ground was covered by hail depending on which part of the city you live. Many
of the smaller hailstones were spherical or egg shaped, but the larger ones
over 30mm in diameter were irregular shaped, often a jagged conglomeration of
several hailstones fused together while forming in the storm cloud. Cars,
roofs, skylights, outdoor furniture and gardens all suffered damage in varying
degrees. After the storm cleared Armidale it continued in a north-north-easterly
direction depositing hail on rural properties and also Black Mountain village,
before dissipating east of Guyra. The severe storm was caused by a lingering
intense low pressure trough over north-east New South Wales. Heavy rain
accompanied the storm with the Armidale city weather station recording 19.4 mm
of rain and melted hail between 4.50 and 5.25pm. Armidale airport recorded 10.2
mm for the same period.
This was the sixth severe hailstorm to hit Armidale in the last 30 years. Details of the previous five events here.
COOLEST JANUARY DAY FOR 9 YEARS - 17th January - The maximum temperature of
16.5C was 10C below the long term average, and was the lowest January maximum
since 3rd January 2016 when it was 16.2C. The unusually chilly summer day was
the result of cool south-easterly winds following a low pressure trough which
moved through north-eastern New South Wales on the 16th.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Weather News 2024
(using information from Armidale City weather
station)
2024
- ARMIDALE’S WARMEST YEAR ON RECORD - While 2024
was Australia’s second warmest year on record, it was Armidale’s warmest on record
(from 134 years of data commencing in 1891) with the mean temperature for the
year exceeding the long term average by 2.07C. Temperatures were well above
average in all months except July. The unusually warm conditions were caused by
a higher than normal number of slow moving low pressure troughs over New South
Wales bringing warm air into the state from central Australia. The excessive
number of cloudy nights caused by these troughs also contributed to
significantly milder than normal overnight minimum temperatures which in turn
reduced the number of frosts to 65, lowest on record over the last 44 years.
Details in the 2024 YEARLY WEATHER REVIEW. Includes statistics
table. (PDF format - printable)
2024 TOTAL RAINFALL: 865.4 mm, 83 mm
higher than the average. April was the wettest month with 116.2 mm, and August
was the driest with 36.4 mm. See graph at right.
DECEMBER RAINFALL: 74.2 mm on 8
days, 15 mm less than the average. The highest daily fall was 22.4 mm on the
4th.
Details on the December
2024 Weather Review. December 2024 daily
data table.
WARMEST DECEMBER NIGHT FOR 4 YEARS - 8th December - The overnight minimum temperature
of 19.8C recorded at 6.20am was just 0.2C lower than the record high for the
month of December which occurred on 11th December 1988 and again on 2nd
December 2020. The unusually mild overnight conditions were caused by a low
pressure trough drawing very warm air into New South Wales from central
Australia.
NOVEMBER RAINFALL: 81.2 mm on 10 days, just one mm below the
average, with the majority (77.8 mm) falling in the first half of the month.
The highest daily fall was 20.4 mm on the 4th.
Details in the November 2024 Weather Review. November 2024 daily data table.
OCTOBER RAINFALL: 62.2 mm on 11
days, 6 mm lower than the average. The highest daily fall was 13.6 mm on the
16th.
Details in the October
2024 Weather Review. October
2024 daily data table.
SEPTEMBER RAINFALL: 60.4 mm on 6
days, 10 mm higher than the average, with 40 mm falling in one day - the 12th,
and the remainder over the last five days of the month. Details in the September 2024 Weather
Review. September 2024 daily data table.
WARMEST WINTER ON RECORD - The winter of 2024 was Armidale’s warmest winter
on record from 134 years of data. It was also unusually cloudy with fewer
frosts than normal. Rainfall was slightly below average for the three winter
months. Details in the Armidale. Details in the Winter
2024 Weather Review.
WARM LATE WINTER WEATHER - 21st-31st August - Unseasonably
warm weather affected large areas of New South Wales including the Northern
Tablelands. In Armidale temperatures exceeded 20.0C on nine of the eleven final
days of the month with the warmest of 24.3C on the 30th being Armidale’s
highest August temperature since 24th August 2009 when it reached 27.4C. Also
the minimum on the 31st of 16.4C was the highest on record for the month of
August. The previous highest was 14.8C on 25th August 2009.
The unusually warm end to winter was caused by a number of low pressure troughs
and fast moving fronts bringing in warm air to northern New South Wales from
central Australia.
AUGUST RAINFALL: 36.4 mm on 6 days, 11 mm less than the
average. The rain fell in the first 15 days with the second half of the month
remaining dry. The highest daily fall was 11.8 mm on the 6th. Details in the August 2024 Weather Review. August 2024 daily data table.
STRONG WINDS - 28th August - A cold front moved rapidly through New South
Wales bringing strong to galeforce winds to southern
and central areas of the state. In Armidale winds gusted to 80 kms per hour at the Airport at around midday, and up to 50 kms per hour in the Armidale valley.
JULY RAINFALL: 59.8 mm on 18 days,
13 mm higher than the average. The heaviest daily fall was 17.8 mm on the 27th.
Details in the July
2024 Weather Review. July
2024 daily data table.
COLD OUTBREAK - 15th-17th July - A deep low pressure
system near Tasmania directed cold air from the Southern Ocean into New South
Wales from the 15th to the 17th. Upper level cold air combined with this system
to produce very low temperatures and snowfalls over the Central Tablelands,
Barrington Tops and Northern Tablelands, with some light snow also falling in
southern Queensland.
Snow fell in Guyra and other highland areas of the
Northern Tablelands intermittently over the three days. No snow fell in
Armidale.
Minimum/Maximum temperatures in Armidale:
15th: 1.7C/8.5C, 16th: 1.5C/7.6C, 17th: 2.6C/6.2C.
Strong winds on the 16th caused wind chill temperatures to drop as low as -4C
during the morning.
The maximum of 6.2C on the 17th was the lowest (or coldest day) in Armidale
since 10th June 2021 (5.6C).
JUNE RAINFALL: 38.0 mm on 9 days, 16 mm less than the average. Most of the rain
(35.0 mm) fell in the first two weeks with the remainder of the month almost
dry. Details in the June 2024 Weather Review. June 2024 daily data table.
MAY RAINFALL: 78.8 mm on 12 days, 37 mm higher than the average.
It was the wettest May since 2009 (87.6 mm) with most of the rain falling in
the first half of the month. The highest daily fall was 29.0 mm on the 11th.
Details in the May
2024 Weather Review. May 2024
daily data table.
FIRST FROST OF THE YEAR - 18th May - The first frost for 2024 with a
minimum temperature of 0.7C was
recorded at 5.50am, ending a 213 day frost-free period since the last frost on
17th October 2023.
WETTEST APRIL FOR 34 YEARS - The April total of 116.2 mm on 10 days was 72 mm higher than the average, and highest
for the month of April since 1990 (167 mm). The highest daily fall was 36.4 mm
on the 5th. Details in the April 2024 Weather
Review. April 2024 daily data table.
MARCH RAINFALL: 72.0 mm on 14 days,
12 mm higher than the average. The highest daily fall was 37.2 mm on the 1st.
Details in the March
2024 Weather Review. March
2024 daily data table.
SUMMER OF 2023/2024 - It was a wet and cloudy summer with temperatures well
above normal. Details in the Summer 2023/2024 Weather Review.
FEBRUARY RAINFALL: 102.4 mm on 10
days, 14 mm higher than the average. The highest daily fall was 56.2 mm on the
18th.
February
2024 Weather Review. February
2024 daily data table.
JANUARY RAINFALL: 83.8 mm on 10
days, 17 mm lower than the average. Daily falls were light except for 17.2 mm
on the 18th and 40.4 mm on the 29th.
January
2024 Weather Review. January 2024 daily data table.
HOTTEST WEATHER FOR 3 YEARS - 22nd to 27th January - The maximum temperatures
of 34.5C on 22nd January and 34.8C on 25th January were the
highest for any month since 2nd December 2020 when 36.4C was recorded. The hot
conditions were caused by low pressure troughs developing over inland New South
Wales drawing in very warm air from central Australia.
The overnight minimum on 27th January of 20.0C was the highest minimum
temperature recorded for any month since 2nd December 2020, when 20.0C was also
recorded.
FOR WEATHER NEWS FROM PREVIOUS YEARS go to
the Weather
News Archive.
TELEVISION REPORTING OF ARMIDALE’S WEATHER - Since 1st
August 2015 when the Armidale city weather station ceased taking 3pm daily
readings, all three television networks (ABC, NBN, Prime) in their evening
weather reports report the day’s maximum and minimum temperatures from Armidale
airport.
Unfortunately the airport temperatures are not as representative of conditions
in the city due to its higher elevation. Overnight minimums in particular are
often around 2 to 5 degrees colder at the city weather station which is located
in the Armidale valley where temperature inversions are common on calm clear
nights. More details on the reasons for temperatures differences between the
two stations and a list of Armidale’s lowest
temperatures here.
Temperatures recorded at the city weather
station can be accessed from the Bureau of Meteorology after about 9.40am
here:
9am daily
summary - scroll down to Northern Tablelands.
Also here after mid-afternoon: Armidale daily
observation tables.
The previous day’s maximum and the current day’s overnight minimum in the city
are also shown at the top of this page after about 9.30am.
EVAPORATION - How
much water is lost through evaporation every day/month/year from water storages
on farms? During times of low rainfall, water loss through evaporation can be
critical for the survival of pastures, crops and livestock. Evaporation
readings have been taken at the East Armidale weather station since 1983, and
this data has been used to build up a profile for the Armidale area of this
important aspect of the weather. Details here:
Evaporation in Armidale.
IS ARMIDALE’S CLIMATE BECOMING WARMER?
Go to the bottom of this page for the 134 year Armidale temperature graph.
SNOW IMAGES - Gallery of snow
photographs taken in various locations on the Northern Tablelands over the last
30 years:
Snow images
1984 to 2015.
EBOR FALLS ICE AND SNOW (Historic
Event) - In July 2007, after several mornings of sub-zero temperatures,
Ebor Falls, 80 kms east of Armidale, partly froze and
a mini snowfield was created by spray at the base of the falls. Photographs of this amazing event here.
Forecast Rainfall
Where
will it fall, when will it fall, and how much is likely to fall?
Click HERE to access
the Bureau of Meteorology's four day rainfall predictions.
This Month’s Daily Data
Click HERE
for daily data for this month compiled by the Bureau of Meteorology. Data is from
the city weather station at East Armidale except for wind and pressure readings
which sourced from the Armidale Airport weather station.
More detailed daily data can be found HERE.
April in Armidale - what can we expect?
Normal conditions in April…
April often brings some of New England’s more
pleasant weather claimed by many to be the “best time of the year” - cool
mornings followed by warm sunny days with light winds - the “golden days” of
autumn. As a reminder that winter is on the way, the first frosts of the year
normally occur during the month but are usually light. Winds are generally
light easterlies, although westerly winds are gradually on the increase.
Rainfall is low - April is the second driest month of the year after May.
Average max temp: 20.1 deg Average
min temp: 6.5 deg
Average rainfall: 44.9 mm on 8
days Average fine sunny
days: 15
Average days with thunderstorms:
1 Average frosts: 5
Average hours of sunshine day per: 6.2
Hottest: 30.2 deg on April 4th
1986 Coldest: -5.8 deg on April 30th 2008
National
Climate Centre outlook for April 2025:
The El Nino Southern
Oscillation is currently neutral and is expected to remain neutral until at
least August 2025. El Nino events usually cause lower than normal rainfall over
eastern Australia along with warmer than normal temperatures in the southern
two thirds of the continent, while La Nina events can cause higher than normal
rainfall.
The Indian Ocean
Dipole is currently neutral. A positive IOD usually leads to reduced
rainfall over central and south-east Australia, while a negative IOD can lead
to above average rainfall. The IOD typically has little influence on Australian
climate from December to April.
Armidale in April 2025 - Rainfall
higher than the long term average.
Maximum temperatures higher than the long term average.
Minimum temperatures higher than the long term average.
Armidale Weather
Weather at Nearby Locations & Links to
Webcams & Automatic Weather Stations (AWS)
DO YOU HAVE ANY
PHOTOGRAPHS OF ARMIDALE'S WEATHER? I'm always on the lookout for good weather
photos for this website. If you have any which you think look good (interesting
clouds, sunsets, hail, frosts, snow, floods etc) in
or around Armidale, please email them to me here.
Information and
statistics in these pages referring to Armidale are sourced from the Bureau of
Meteorology weather station in East Armidale, station number 56037. Some data
is also used from the Bureau’s automatic weather station at Armidale airport,
station number 56238.
Feedback or queries: here.
Armidale Yearly
Rainfall 1878-2024
Armidale Yearly Temperatures 1891-2024
The above graph
shows the average (mean of average max and average min) temperature for each
year from 1891 to 2024.
The dotted line is the ten year average which shows periods of warming and
cooling.
Until 1997 temperatures were recorded in Armidale’s
CBD. Temperatures recorded since 1997 at the East Armidale site have been
weighted to be compatible with the earlier recordings.