Weather & Climate in the Northern Territory

Top End: Whatever the season, each day of your stay in the Top End guarantees something different, a new adventure, a new experience - it's just a matter of choosing the season which best suits your interests and fits in with your holiday schedule. The Top End is known as a 'land of two summers', which means lots of sunshine even during the Wet Season. To appreciate the weather changes remember - the WET is from November through to April, the DRY is from May to October, and whilst the Dry is the most popular for holidays in the Top End, the Wet delivers the Northern Territory its most beautiful scenery - waterfalls, rivers and creeks which meld into giant floodplains and lush tropical growth. January and February is the height of summer and the heart of 'the Wet' climate when monsoon weather dumps heavy afternoon and overnight rain.

Average temperatures range from 24.4 degree Centigrade (75 Fahrenheit) to 38.4 C (101.1 F). March and April average temperatures range from 24.3 C (75.7 F) to 32.3 C (90.1 F). The May to September period is known as 'the Dry' and is the most popular time of the year with visitors and locals. The humidity is at its lowest and the nights relatively cool. Average temperatures range from 21 C (69.8 F) to 31.3 C (88.3 F). October to December is the pre-monsoon period when it becomes increasingly humid climate with occasional rain. Average weather range is from 25.2 C (77.4 F) to 32.9 C (91.2 F).

Red Centre: Central Australia centred on Alice Springs has a very different climate. There is little rain and very low humidity throughout the year. The Red Centre has the traditional four seasons - summer from December to February, autumn (fall) from March to May, winter from June to August, and spring from September to November. Remember seasons in Australia are the reverse of those in the Northern Hemisphere. Also remember occasional days can be much hotter and nights colder than the averages which follow.

Summer averages range from 20.6 Centigrade (69 Fahrenheit) to 35.4 C (95.7 F), autumn (fall) from 12.8 C (55 F) to 27.8 C (82 F), winter from 3.1 C (38 F) to 20.5 C (69 F), and spring weather from 14.2 C (58 F) to 30.3 C (86.5 F).

Darwin Weather Forecast