LIVING IN AUSTRALIA - THE WEATHER

If you're planning to move to Australia, you should know some important fact about the country's weather.

Like all countries in the southern hemisphere (the hemisphere south of the Equator), Australia's seasons follow the sequence:


•Summer: December to February

•Autumn: March to May

•Winter: June to August

•Spring: September to November

This means that the Australian Christmas takes place at the height of summer. It also means that the mid-year break for students happens in winter. The end of year break for students is commonly known as the 'summer holidays', or the 'Christmas holidays'.

Australian weather is unique in that the average maximum temperature falls within a narrow range. In Sydney, for instance, the average maximum temperature goes from 16°C (60°F) in winter to 26°C (78°F) in summer. The average minimum temperature is from 8°C (46°F) to 18.5°C (65°F).

This does not mean the Australian weather doesn’t sink below 8°C (46°F) in Sydney nor rise above 26°C (78°F), but it is a good gauge of what kind of clothing one should wear: lighter clothing in the summer months of December, January and February and heavier clothing in the winter months of June, July and August, except in the more northern latitudes where every day is a summer's day.

As an immigrant to Australia - if you are from the northern hemisphere you will find it strange at first to celebrate Christmas in summer :)


Want to know more? Visit http://www.bom.gov.au/