Wollongong climate
Wollongong (New South Wales, Australia) has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa). The average temperature over the year is 18 °C64 °F, and about 925 mm36 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Wollongong climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3086 | 1865 | 2475 | 803.2 |
| Feb | 2882 | 1864 | 2373 | 1425.6 |
| Mar | 2578 | 1762 | 2170 | 1054.1 |
| Apr | 2373 | 1457 | 1865 | 722.8 |
| May | 1966 | 1151 | 1559 | 552.2 |
| Jun | 1661 | 948 | 1355 | 953.7 |
| Jul | 1560 | 846 | 1253 | 532.1 |
| Aug | 1762 | 846 | 1254 | 582.3 |
| Sep | 2069 | 1051 | 1560 | 451.8 |
| Oct | 2474 | 1355 | 1864 | 652.6 |
| Nov | 2679 | 1559 | 2069 | 843.3 |
| Dec | 2882 | 1662 | 2272 | 722.8 |
| Year | 3086 | 846 | 1864 | 92536 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 68% | 62% | 6.4 | 14:13 |
| Feb | 75% | 66% | 5.4 | 13:23 |
| Mar | 76% | 63% | 4.6 | 12:24 |
| Apr | 77% | 57% | 3.8 | 11:16 |
| May | 76% | 51% | 3.0 | 10:21 |
| Jun | 81% | 57% | 2.4 | 9:52 |
| Jul | 78% | 49% | 2.7 | 10:04 |
| Aug | 73% | 48% | 3.6 | 10:51 |
| Sep | 69% | 50% | 4.8 | 11:56 |
| Oct | 66% | 59% | 5.7 | 13:01 |
| Nov | 67% | 65% | 6.1 | 13:59 |
| Dec | 67% | 64% | 6.5 | 14:27 |
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 Wollongong is like
The warmest month is January, with an average high of 30 °C86 °F and a low of 18 °C65 °F. The coldest is July, when highs average 15 °C60 °F and lows 8 °C46 °F. There is a clear seasonal cycle, with 12.5 °C22.4 °F between the average temperature of the warmest and the coolest month.
Annual precipitation is moderate at about 925 mm36 in. The wettest three-month stretch is January–March, which brings 35% of the annual total. The wettest month is February (142 mm5.6 in), the driest is September (45 mm1.8 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 66% in October to 81% in June. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 48%) are typical of August. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 2 km/h (1 mph) in January to 2 km/h (1 mph) in August. Daylight lasts from about 9.9 hours in June to 14.4 hours in December.
Best time to visit Wollongong
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are April and May and September–December: average highs of 19 °C66 °F to 28 °C82 °F with 45 mm1.8 in to 84 mm3.3 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 Wollongong
- Summer (December–February) — highs 2882 to 30 °C86 °F, lows 1662 to 18 °C65 °F, about 98 mm3.9 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses, an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Autumn (March–May) — highs 1966 to 25 °C78 °F, lows 1151 to 17 °C62 °F, about 77 mm3.0 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket.
- Winter (June–August) — highs 1560 to 17 °C62 °F, lows 846 to 9 °C48 °F, about 68 mm2.7 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket.
- Spring (September–November) — highs 2069 to 26 °C79 °F, lows 1051 to 15 °C59 °F, about 65 mm2.5 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.
How Wollongong compares
Compared with Sydney, about 68 km to the northeast, Wollongong is on average 0.7 °C1.3 °F cooler and receives a similar amount of precipitation. The difference is largest in June (2.3 °C4.2 °F cooler).
Of the 39 places in Australia covered by World Climates, Wollongong is the 24th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 12th 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: Buenos Aires (Argentina, Cfa), Montevideo (Uruguay, Cfa) and Merlo (Argentina, Cfa).
Nearby places
- Liverpool 56 km · 18 °C64 °F · 1,013 mm40 in
- Nowra 58 km · 18 °C64 °F · 992 mm39 in
- Sydney 68 km · 18 °C65 °F · 888 mm35 in
- Richmond (New South Wales) 93 km · 18 °C65 °F · 973 mm38 in
- Central Coast 119 km · 19 °C65 °F · 913 mm36 in
- Newcastle 185 km · 19 °C66 °F · 994 mm39 in
- Canberra 187 km · 14 °C57 °F · 706 mm28 in
- Maitland 198 km · 19 °C66 °F · 802 mm32 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Wollongong?
January is the warmest month in Wollongong, with an average high of 30 °C (86 °F) and an average low of 18 °C (65 °F).
What is the coldest month in Wollongong?
July is the coldest month, with an average high of 15 °C (60 °F) and an average low of 8 °C (46 °F).
When does it rain the most in Wollongong?
February is the wettest month with about 142 mm (5.6 in) of precipitation; September is the driest with about 45 mm (1.8 in).
What is the best time to visit Wollongong?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are April and 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 368 m, while Wollongong lies at about 29 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +2.2 °C4 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.