Tropical Territory

The Top End's climate is typically tropical with the year divided into two distinguishable periods: the wet and dry seasons.

The wet season runs from November until the end of April and it is during this period that cyclones can affect the area. In January and February monsoonal weather is also common.

The dry season officially beings on May 1st and lasts until the end of October. In June and July the temperatures can get into single figures during the night with early morning mist (see image right) providing a different aspect to familiar sights.

Rainfall

Drought has ravaged many areas of Australia in recent years; mainly the south-eastern seaboard from Brisbane round to Adelaide, where the majority of Australia's population resides. So water is a much valued resource. However, the Top End recieves some of the highest rainfall in the country. This means that many politicians and policy-makers see the Top End as the solution to water shortages elsewhere. A number of schemes are regularly proposed such as piping water thousands of kilometres or relocating the country's agricultural industry.

However, these schemes are both impractical and do not take into account the nature of the heavy tropical deluges the Top End experiences. At Treehugger we have been recording our daily rainfall for a number of years, and these figures can be accessed via the interactive chart below. Click on a year to view rainfall figures.

Annual Rainfall

Temperatures

Average temperatures for Darwin range between 14 and 35 degrees celcius, and humidity is on average upwards of 54%. However, in the rural area where Treehugger is located temperatures tend to get hotter, especially during the build up and wet season. This is because of the lack of sea breezes which keep Darwin a little cooler.

During the dry season temperatures can get quite nippy falling into single figures and the mist which rolls across the land in the early mornings is quite beautiful.

Seasons

Almost all rainfall in the north falls in the four months of the wet season, traditionally November to March. Hot sunny weeks are interspersed by days of monsoonal rain and frequent cyclones.

The dry season starts abruptly at the beginning of May and is marked by low humidity, dry sunny days and much cooler nights. Fires are frequent due to the high fuel load of dried out grasses.

Around October the humidity begins to rise again as the “build up” to the wet begins. October and November bring scorching days and spectacular electrical storms at night. The Top End receives more lightening strikes than anywhere else in the world.

A considerable fluctuation in water availability between Wet and Dry seasons makes the natural environment here unique and as a result plants and animals have specialised to cope with both extremes.