Newcastle climate

New South Wales, Australia · 32.93°S, 151.78°E · elevation 48 m · population 508,437

Warmest month
January
high 26 °C79 °F
Coldest month
July
low 12 °C53 °F
Wettest month
February
134 mm5.3 in
Best time to visit
September–January and April and May
by our comfort score
Annual precipitation
994 mm39 in
August driest
Year average
19 °C66 °F
humid subtropical (Cfa)

Newcastle (New South Wales, Australia) has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa). The average temperature over the year is 19 °C66 °F, and about 994 mm39 in of precipitation falls in an average year.

Temperature by month

Average highAverage low
10°15°20°25°30°50°60°70°80°JFMAMJJASOND26°79°12°53°January: high 26 °C / 79 °F, low 21 °C / 69 °FFebruary: high 26 °C / 78 °F, low 21 °C / 69 °FMarch: high 24 °C / 76 °F, low 20 °C / 68 °FApril: high 22 °C / 72 °F, low 18 °C / 64 °FMay: high 20 °C / 67 °F, low 15 °C / 59 °FJune: high 17 °C / 63 °F, low 13 °C / 56 °FJuly: high 17 °C / 62 °F, low 12 °C / 53 °FAugust: high 18 °C / 64 °F, low 12 °C / 54 °FSeptember: high 20 °C / 68 °F, low 14 °C / 57 °FOctober: high 22 °C / 71 °F, low 16 °C / 60 °FNovember: high 23 °C / 74 °F, low 18 °C / 64 °FDecember: high 25 °C / 77 °F, low 19 °C / 66 °F

Precipitation by month

Precipitation per month (mminches)
050100150024JJanuary: 83 mm / 3.3 inFFebruary: 134 mm / 5.3 inMMarch: 116 mm / 4.6 inAApril: 88 mm / 3.5 inMMay: 75 mm / 3.0 inJJune: 98 mm / 3.9 inJJuly: 56 mm / 2.2 inAAugust: 51 mm / 2.0 inSSeptember: 52 mm / 2.1 inOOctober: 70 mm / 2.7 inNNovember: 90 mm / 3.5 inDDecember: 81 mm / 3.2 in1345.3

Newcastle climate table

Monthly averages, 2001–2025
MonthHigh °C°FLow °C°FMean °C°FPrecip. mmin
Jan267921692374833.3
Feb2678216923741345.3
Mar2476206822721164.6
Apr227218642068883.5
May206715591763753.0
Jun176313561559983.9
Jul176212531457562.2
Aug186412541559512.0
Sep206814571763522.1
Oct227116601966702.7
Nov237418642069903.5
Dec257719662272813.2
Year26791253196699439

“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.

Humidity, cloud, sun and daylight
MonthHumid.CloudSolarDaylight
Jan73%58%6.614:06
Feb75%59%5.713:19
Mar75%57%4.912:23
Apr74%51%3.911:19
May72%45%3.110:27
Jun75%51%2.59:59
Jul73%43%2.910:11
Aug69%40%3.810:55
Sep68%42%5.011:56
Oct69%53%5.812:58
Nov72%59%6.313:53
Dec72%60%6.614:19

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 Newcastle is like

The warmest month is January, with an average high of 26 °C79 °F and a low of 21 °C69 °F. The coldest is July, when highs average 17 °C62 °F and lows 12 °C53 °F. There is a clear seasonal cycle, with 9.3 °C16.8 °F between the average temperature of the warmest and the coolest month.

Annual precipitation is moderate at about 994 mm39 in. The wettest three-month stretch is February–April, which brings 34% of the annual total. The wettest month is February (134 mm5.3 in), the driest is August (51 mm2.0 in).

Relative humidity ranges from 68% in September to 75% in June. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 40%) are typical of August. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 10 km/h (6 mph) in April to 12 km/h (7 mph) in June. Daylight lasts from about 10.0 hours in June to 14.3 hours in December.

Best time to visit Newcastle

Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are September–January and April and May: average highs of 20 °C67 °F to 26 °C79 °F with 52 mm2.1 in to 90 mm3.5 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 Newcastle

  • Summer (December–February) — highs 2577 to 26 °C79 °F, lows 1966 to 21 °C69 °F, about 99 mm3.9 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
  • Autumn (March–May) — highs 2067 to 24 °C76 °F, lows 1559 to 20 °C68 °F, about 93 mm3.7 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
  • Winter (June–August) — highs 1762 to 18 °C64 °F, lows 1253 to 13 °C56 °F, about 68 mm2.7 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket.
  • Spring (September–November) — highs 2068 to 23 °C74 °F, lows 1457 to 18 °C64 °F, about 71 mm2.8 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket.

How Newcastle compares

Compared with Sydney, about 117 km to the southwest, Newcastle is on average 0.5 °C0.9 °F warmer and receives 12% more precipitation (994 mm39 in vs 888 mm35 in). The difference is largest in December (0.8 °C1.4 °F warmer).

Of the 39 places in Australia covered by World Climates, Newcastle is the 15th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 9th 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: Rio Grande (Brazil, Cfa), Mdantsane (South Africa, Cfa) and Pelotas (Brazil, Cfa).

Nearby places

All places in Australia

Frequently asked questions

What is the warmest month in Newcastle?

January is the warmest month in Newcastle, with an average high of 26 °C (79 °F) and an average low of 21 °C (69 °F).

What is the coldest month in Newcastle?

July is the coldest month, with an average high of 17 °C (62 °F) and an average low of 12 °C (53 °F).

When does it rain the most in Newcastle?

February is the wettest month with about 134 mm (5.3 in) of precipitation; August is the driest with about 51 mm (2.0 in).

What is the best time to visit Newcastle?

Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are September–January and April and May.

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.

Sources and method