Brisbane Weather Hazards
Know The Best Time To Travel

Brisbane weather is nice and warm for most of the year. The temperatures vary little from day-to-day since Brisbane is located in the subtropics. The only times that you'll need to wear any warm clothes is after the sun sets in June, July and August.

You are also likely to see some wet weather during December through to March, so come prepared. In comparison, the driest months are from July-September.

Brisbane city has nearly 1150mm (45.3 inches) annually. The eastern suburbs normally have 200mm (~8 inches) more rain than the city.

Severe thunderstorms

So what do I mean by severe? These thunderstorms are accompanied by large hail (>2cm), strong winds (>90km/hr), and flash flooding. Not all these features occur in the same storm but at least one of these conditions must be met for the thunderstorm to be known as severe.

Here's some facts about severe thunderstorms in Brisbane:

• The majority of the severe thunderstorms occur from November through to January.


• They develop very quickly and generally move in from the south west towards the north east.


• These storms can travel up to 50km/hr so you won't have much time to prepare for their arrival.


• They begin to form by 1pm and generally reach their maximum intensity at around 4pm.


• You are least likely to see these types of storms in the morning.


• Most of these storms are followed by a strong and gusty south easterly (i.e. winds coming from the south east) wind change.


• In the days leading up to the severe storms, the Brisbane weather would have been very humid and quite hot.


• Golf ball size hail is quite common. However, hail the size of tennis balls occurs once every three years or so.


• There is a narrow severe thunderstorm belt that runs from around Ipswich (40km west of Brisbane city) through Greenbank and onto Beenleigh and then out to sea.

Do you want to see a video of a decent thunderstorm?

Then check out this footage of a severe thunderstorm that passed through the inner western suburbs of Brisbane on the afternoon of the 16th November 2008.

Contrary to what the people were saying on the video, this was not a cyclone!

Flooding

Most of the flooding that occurs in Brisbane is the result of torrential rain associated with thunderstorms. You shouldn't worry too much about getting flooded out in Brisbane since most of the streets have large storm water drains these days.

However, there are occasions when the rain lasts for days. This can occur if there's a stationary low pressure system just north east of Brisbane. This type of flooding event occurs normally in the winter at least once every five years.

You should be on the lookout in the summer months for the occasional tropical cyclone that wanders down the eastern coastline of Australia.

It is quite rare for a tropical cyclone to travel as far south as Brisbane but it has occurred before.

Heat Waves

Brisbane doesn't normally experience temperatures above 38°C (100°F) during the summer months. Like all regions in the sub-tropics, the temperatures don't vary too much. Only the southern parts of Australia experience intense heat waves.

However, you should realise that the humidity in the summer in Brisbane is quite high and due to this the temperatures won't normally rise above 34°C.

Make sure that you put on some sunscreen to prevent getting sunburnt. The Queensland sun will burn your skin in about 7 minutes if you're don't cover your skin during the summer months.

That is one of the biggest complaints about Brisbane weather during the summer months. If you're planning to stay in Brisbane during January and February and even into the early part of March, just beware that the high humidity levels can make your stay extremely uncomfortable at times.

The highest humidity levels in Brisbane occur between 9pm and 3am in February. So it will be in your best interests to make sure that you have an air conditioned room at night, especially at night in February.

General Brisbane weather conditions

• Brisbane weather in the winter is fantastic. The mornings are cool (around 9°C) and the daytime maximum temperatures rise to between 20 - 23°C.


• As I've mentioned earlier, this is probably the only time that you'll need to wear some warm clothing.


• Overnight temperatures are the warmest in the eastern suburbs of Brisbane. However, overnight temperatures in the western suburbs do occasionally drop below 0°C (32°F).


• This is also the time of the year that receives the least amount of rain.


• In July and into August, strong westerly winds begin to occur. The air is extremely dry during this time but the weather is usually sunny.

• In September, Brisbane weather conditions start to become influenced by tropical conditions. The winds begin to come in from the south east. You may get an odd afternoon shower and these will get more frequent later in September.


• By October, the daytime temperatures (26°C) are noticeably warmer but the humidity levels are comfortable. If you visit during October you'll begin to notice that afternoon thunderstorms will start to become more frequent in the latter part of October. These storms can be severe.


• In November, Brisbane weather conditions are becoming quite humid but I wouldn't say that they're uncomfortable. The temperatures range from 18 - 27°C and the winds are generally light. Although in the afternoons, a sea-breeze blowing in from the north east is quite common.


• You can also expect that in November you'll see a thunderstorm occurring almost every second day. Whatever you do, make sure you get under cover when a storm approaches as a lot of these are accompanied by large hail. If the hail hits you it can easily cause serious injury.

• The rainfall dramatically increases during the summer and with it comes an increase in humidity levels.


• The temperatures hover around 20°C at night before rising to a maximum of 29°C.


• January is the month that most people complain about the heat and the humidity. It's quite uncomfortable at times especially if there's very little wind.


• The summer months are the best times to go to the beach since the water temperatures are aroud 23-25°C.


• The western suburbs of Brisbane are always much warmer than the eastern suburbs during the day. It's for this reason that Ipswich is normally 4-5°C warmer than Brisbane city by day.


• Most of the heavier rain will occur near the coast so if you're on the beach just keep checking to see if there's any storm clouds approaching. You don't want your day at the beach ruined by bad weather.

Brisbane weather remains quite hot and humid throughout March. But by April cooler overnight temperatures make their presence known.

You won't see any leaves changing colour in the autumn in Brisbane as most of this area doesn't have deciduous trees. What you'll notice is that the beaches won't be as busy since the Brisbane locals don't like to go swimming if the temperature go below 25°C (77°F).

• In March, the temperatures range from 19 - 28°C. Brisbane weather in March is still quite wet and during this time receives around 140mm of rain.


• Thunderstorm activity begins to disappear by the end of March so you should have good weather if you time it right.


• By April, nearly all of the afternoon thunderstorms have gone. You can expect fine days although you may see occasional showers pass by if the winds come from the south east.


• A weather tip for you: If there's no southeasterly winds in the cooler months then you shouldn't see any rain in Brisbane.


• In May, the maximum temperature reaches only 23°C (73°F) but overnight you can expect around 13°C (55°F).


• Most of the days in May will be sunny and if you can handle the cooler temperatures, you'll find that there's not many people going to the beach at this time of year.

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