Record-Setting Weather in Australia

Coldest Place

The lowest temperature recorded in Australia was at Charlotte Pass, New South Wales where it dropped to -23 °C (-9.4 °F) on June 29, 1994.

Hottest Spot

Oodnadatta, South Australia reached 50.7 °C (123 °F) on January 2, 1960, setting a record high temperature for Australia.

Wettest Location

With an average of 8,034 millimetres (316.3 inches) of rainfall annually, Bellenden Ker in Queensland is Australia's rainiest place.

Driest Place

The driest spot in Australia is Troudaninna, South Australia, which gets just 102.9 millimetres (4.05 inches) of rainfall a year, on average.

Fastest Wind

The highest wind speed ever recorded in the world was a 408 kilometres per hour (253 miles per hour) wind gust that hit Barrow Island, Australia during Tropical Cyclone Olivia on April 10, 1996. That record-setting wind was accompanied by four other extreme gusts, ranging from 298 to 374 kilometres per hour (185 to 232 miles per hour).