Adelaide climate
Adelaide (South Australia, Australia) has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csa). The average temperature over the year is 17 °C62 °F, and about 430 mm17 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Adelaide climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3087 | 1661 | 2374 | 150.6 |
| Feb | 2985 | 1661 | 2373 | 170.7 |
| Mar | 2780 | 1458 | 2169 | 251.0 |
| Apr | 2373 | 1254 | 1763 | 341.3 |
| May | 1865 | 1050 | 1457 | 532.1 |
| Jun | 1559 | 745 | 1152 | 602.3 |
| Jul | 1458 | 744 | 1151 | 602.4 |
| Aug | 1560 | 744 | 1152 | 512.0 |
| Sep | 1865 | 847 | 1356 | 471.9 |
| Oct | 2271 | 1050 | 1661 | 240.9 |
| Nov | 2678 | 1355 | 1966 | 220.9 |
| Dec | 2882 | 1458 | 2170 | 230.9 |
| Year | 3087 | 744 | 1762 | 43017 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 51% | 37% | 7.9 | 14:15 |
| Feb | 54% | 38% | 7.0 | 13:24 |
| Mar | 58% | 39% | 5.7 | 12:24 |
| Apr | 63% | 45% | 4.1 | 11:15 |
| May | 73% | 47% | 2.9 | 10:19 |
| Jun | 79% | 47% | 2.4 | 9:49 |
| Jul | 80% | 46% | 2.6 | 10:01 |
| Aug | 76% | 46% | 3.5 | 10:50 |
| Sep | 71% | 46% | 4.7 | 11:56 |
| Oct | 63% | 46% | 6.1 | 13:03 |
| Nov | 57% | 46% | 7.2 | 14:01 |
| Dec | 53% | 43% | 7.7 | 14:30 |
Humid. = average relative humidity at 2 m; cloud = average cloud amount; solar = average daily solar energy reaching the ground in kWh/m² (all-sky); daylight in hours:minutes, calculated for the 15th of each month.
What the climate of Adelaide is like
The warmest month is January, with an average high of 30 °C87 °F and a low of 16 °C61 °F. The coldest is July, when highs average 14 °C58 °F and lows 7 °C44 °F. There is a clear seasonal cycle, with 12.7 °C22.9 °F between the average temperature of the warmest and the coolest month.
Annual precipitation is moderate at about 430 mm17 in. The wettest three-month stretch is May–July, which brings 40% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: January and February. The wettest month is July (60 mm2.4 in), the driest is January (15 mm0.6 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 51% in January to 80% in July. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 37%) are typical of January. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 9 km/h (5 mph) in June to 12 km/h (7 mph) in January. Daylight lasts from about 9.8 hours in June to 14.5 hours in December.
Best time to visit Adelaide
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are February–May and September–December: average highs of 18 °C65 °F to 29 °C85 °F with 17 mm0.7 in to 53 mm2.1 in of precipitation per month.
Comfort score: months are ranked by how close they come to an average high of 21–28 °C (70–82 °F), lows above 5 °C (41 °F), little precipitation and moderate humidity. The best-ranked months of each place are recommended, even where none meets all of these. These are general rules of thumb applied to long-term averages.
What to pack for Adelaide
- Summer (December–February) — highs 2882 to 30 °C87 °F, lows 1458 to 16 °C61 °F, about 18 mm0.7 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
- Autumn (March–May) — highs 1865 to 27 °C80 °F, lows 1050 to 14 °C58 °F, about 37 mm1.5 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
- Winter (June–August) — highs 1458 to 15 °C60 °F, lows around 7 °C44 °F, about 57 mm2.2 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket.
- Spring (September–November) — highs 1865 to 26 °C78 °F, lows 847 to 13 °C55 °F, about 31 mm1.2 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
How Adelaide compares
Of the 39 places in Australia covered by World Climates, Adelaide is the 29th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 33rd wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the Australia climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern (seasons shifted for the other hemisphere where needed): Chillán (Chile, Csa), Toulon (France, Csa) and Curicó (Chile, Csa).
Nearby places
- Nuriootpa 63 km · 16 °C60 °F · 405 mm16 in
- Broken Hill 423 km · 18 °C65 °F · 208 mm8.2 in
- Bendigo 551 km · 14 °C58 °F · 522 mm21 in
- Ballarat 555 km · 12 °C54 °F · 565 mm22 in
- Geelong 627 km · 15 °C59 °F · 599 mm24 in
- Melbourne 654 km · 15 °C59 °F · 715 mm28 in
- Griffith 686 km · 18 °C64 °F · 405 mm16 in
- Wagga Wagga 797 km · 17 °C62 °F · 559 mm22 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Adelaide?
January is the warmest month in Adelaide, with an average high of 30 °C (87 °F) and an average low of 16 °C (61 °F).
What is the coldest month in Adelaide?
July is the coldest month, with an average high of 14 °C (58 °F) and an average low of 7 °C (44 °F).
When does it rain the most in Adelaide?
July is the wettest month with about 60 mm (2.4 in) of precipitation; January is the driest with about 15 mm (0.6 in).
What is the best time to visit Adelaide?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are February–May and September–December.
About this data
All figures are 25-year averages (January 2001 – December 2025) from the NASA POWER project. Temperature, humidity, wind and precipitation come from the MERRA-2 reanalysis (precipitation is the bias-corrected MERRA-2 product), cloud and solar values from CERES satellite data. They describe a grid cell of roughly 50–70 km, not a single weather station, so they can differ from airport records — most of all on coasts, in mountains and for rainfall. Average highs and lows are the monthly mean temperature plus/minus half of the average daily temperature range. Counts of rainy days are not part of this dataset.
The grid cell’s average elevation is 167 m, while Adelaide lies at about 59 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +0.7 °C1.3 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.