Out of season: Expanding summers and shrinking winters in subtropical and temperate Australia
If it feels like Australian summers are getting longer and hotter, that is probably because they are. The summers many Australians grew up with no longer exist.
Climate change has already altered the Australian seasonal calendar. Since the middle of last century, summers have expanded and become more extreme, while other seasons have contracted. These trends will continue unless emissions are reduced and until emissions reach net zero.
This report examines changing seasons using data from the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM). Temperatures that once marked the start and end of summer are shown to occur much earlier and later.
The analysis compares daily average temperatures over two periods: the most recent two decades with available data (1999-2018), and a benchmark from the mid twentieth century (1950-1969). The analysis also examines more recent heating, comparing the last five years (2014-2018) against the historical benchmark.
Results are presented for all capital cities and selected regional areas. National results are averaged across all 70 weather stations.
Across the country, all seasons are now hotter, with increases in average and extreme temperatures, particularly in summer.
Explore further
