Weather and seasons
The Northern Territory has two distinct climate areas.
There's the warm, tropical Top End and the dry, semi-arid Central Australia.
Central Australia
There are four seasons in the Red Centre:
- Summer: (December–February). Average temperatures range between 20°C and 35°C (68°F and 95°F). January is the wettest month with around 40mm of rainfall, however the climate is considered dry and arid for most of the year.
- Autumn: (March–May). Considered one of the best times to visit Alice Springs, with warm days and cool nights. Average temperatures range from 12–27°C (54–81°F).
- Winter: (June–August). The average temperature range is 3–20°C (37–68°F). Temperatures can drop below freezing overnight in winter, sometimes leaving a thick frost on the ground like a carpet of snow.
- Spring: (September–November). Spring starts to defrost and warm things up again with average temperatures between 13–31°C (57–87°F). Spring can also bring spectacular thunderstorms and cool evenings
Top End weather
The northern part of the Territory has a tropical monsoonal climate. There is a dry season and wet season. The dry season runs from May to October.
The Dry
The dry season runs from May to October. In the dry season the days are sunny and the evenings are cool. The humidity is low and the average daily temperature sits around 32°C.
The Wet season / Tropical Summer
Between November and April is the wet season and the time when spectacular thunderstorms fill the sky. The humidity rises as high as 98%. The temperature can hit 39°C inland.
The wet season is sometimes called the green season. You will experience beautiful balmy evenings, spectacular lightning displays with cooling tropical rainstorms.
The wet season is the north’s cyclone season.
In the lead up to the cyclone season the Northern Territory Government reminds northern residents of cyclone preparedness. If this happens you need to pay careful attention.
For more information on preparing for cyclones go to SecureNT.
To read more about NT weather go to the Bureau of Meteorology website.
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