Australian Outback Temperatures

"Tables with average monthly temperatures in the Australian
Outback, day and night temperatures in the deserts"

The Australian Outback Temperatures are certainly worth considering when you plan your trip.

I explained on the page about the Australian Outback climate that the Outback spans several climates zones, and that average temperatures vary across these zones.

On this page you can find tables with monthly averages for day and night temperatures. (Averages of maximum temperatures during the day, and averages of the minimum temperatures at night.)

You will find that the temperatures in Outback Australia are not hot all the time. The winter night temperatures in the Australian Outback desert often drop below freezing point. And the day temperatures in summer can be extreme...

But not all of Australia's Outback is desert, and even across the deserts the temperatures will change as you move north.

So let's see how hot (how cold) it is in different parts of the Australian Outback at different times of the year.

One important note before we start: Don't be fooled by averages! To estimate how hot or cold it could get add/substract another 10 to 15 degrees from the average maximum/minimum! For example the highest temperatures recorded in Alice Springs for June/July (mid winter) are over 30°C, and Alice Springs temperatures between October and March can reach above 45°C! Winter nights between May and August may be 3 to 7 degrees below zero! (By the way, all temperatures in the tables below are indicating °C.)

Alice Springs | Ayers Rock/Uluru | Coober Pedy | Katherine | Darwin

(Don't know where these places are? Check this Australian Outback map.)

Australian Outback Temperatures - Alice Springs

I'll start with the town that sits right in the middle of the Australian Outback, Alice Springs. You can use the Alice Springs temperatures as a rough guidance for the temperatures in Outback desert regions in general.

  Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
average
daily max
35.9 34.9 32.3 27.5 23.0 19.7 19.5 22.9 27.0 31.1 33.9 35.5
average
night min
20.8 20.1 17.1 12.2  7.7  4.9  3.7  6.0  9.7 14.4 17.6 19.9

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Outback Temperatures At Ayers Rock/Uluru

As you see, the temperatures at Ayers Rock in summer are on average a bit higher than in Alice Springs, and the winter nights just a smidge colder. Or in other words, Uluru temperatures are just a bit more extreme.

  Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
average
daily max
37.5 35.8 33.5 28.8 23.4 20.2 20.3 22.6 26.4 31.5 34.1 36.8
average
night min
21.2 20.5 17.4 12.6  7.9  5.1  3.4  5.5  9.1 13.5 17.2 19.8

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Outback Temperatures At Coober Pedy

Another Outback desert town. Coober Pedy is supposed to have a very harsh climate and very extreme temperatures, but as you can see, the temperatures aren't much different from those at Alice Springs or Ayers Rock.

  Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
average
daily max
36.2 35.5 32.7 27.6 22.2 18.8 18.7 20.9 24.6 28.8 32.2 34.4
average
night min
20.6 20.7 18.2 14.1 10.1  7.3  6.3  7.4 10.1 13.6 16.6 19.9

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Temperatures in the Northern Australian Outback
Katherine

Here are the temperatures in Katherine as an example for the tropical north of Australia's Outback. There is less variation between day and night temperatures, and also across the year. And doesn't it get stinking hot...?

  Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
average
daily max
35.0 34.3 34.5 34.0 32.1 30.0 30.1 32.5 35.4 37.7 38.0 36.5
average
night min
24.0 23.7 22.9 20.4 17.1 14.1 13.2 15.5 19.6 23.6 24.7 24.4

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Temperatures in the Northern Australian Outback
Darwin

Another example from the tropics, the temperatures in Darwin. You can clearly see the moderating influence of the ocean. Never too cold, never too hot, only about 5 degrees change across the whole year. Nothing like the extremes of the Outback desert temperatures.

  Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
average
daily max
32.4 32.2 32.7 33.5 32.6 31.2 30.6 31.7 33.0 34.0 34.2 33.6
average
night min
25.2 25.0 25.0 24.4 22.6 20.8 19.8 20.9 23.3 25.1 25.5 25.6



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Australian Outback Climate


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