What were the key weather events during Australia's 2025-26 summer?

The 2025-26 summer in Australia was characterized by extreme swings, featuring the wettest season in nearly a decade alongside the eighth-hottest summer on record, with severe heatwaves and intense rainfall events.

How did South Australia fare during the 2025-26 summer?

South Australia experienced its fourth-hottest summer and its second-wettest February on record, with temperatures reaching 50C during a severe late January heatwave.

What are the long-term climate implications of Australia's extreme summer?

Climate scientists suggest that the increasing intensity of extreme weather events like heatwaves, fires, and heavy rainfall is consistent with global warming, predicting a worsening trend for Australia.

Home / Weather / Australia Swelters and Drowns in Extreme Summer

Australia Swelters and Drowns in Extreme Summer

3 Mar

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Summary

The 2025-26 summer was Australia's wettest in nearly a decade.
It was also the country's eighth-hottest summer on record.
South Australia recorded 50C temperatures during a severe heatwave.

Australia Swelters and Drowns in Extreme Summer

The 2025-26 summer brought extreme weather swings across Australia, culminating in the wettest season nationwide in nearly a decade. Rainfall was 32% above the average, making it the rainiest summer since 2016-17. Simultaneously, the season ranked as Australia's eighth-hottest on record, with temperatures 1.1C higher than the 1961-1990 average.

A particularly severe heatwave in late January saw 62 stations record their highest-ever daily maximum temperatures. South Australia, which experienced its fourth-hottest summer, recorded 50C on two separate days in January. This heat was interspersed with intense rainfall, especially concentrated in February for many regions, including South Australia which saw its second-wettest February on record.