One of the driest areas in Australia however, is Birdsville in Queensland. The desert town experiences only 10 days of rainfall per year. Although going further up North in Queensland, areas in Bamaga and Weipa are subject to much heavier rainfall, with about 75 rainfall days per year.
The desert landscape surrounding Oodnadatta, Australia's driest town.
The lowest recorded rainfall in the world occurred at Arica, a port city in northern Chile. An annual average, taken over a 43-year period, was only 0.5 mm (0.02 inch).
Australia's exceptional aridity is the result of a unique combination of factors. Cold ocean currents off the west coast means there is little evaporation to form rainclouds, while the Great Dividing Range that runs down Australia's east coast prevents rain from penetrating far inland.
The city of Perth has the best weather/climate in Australia. The city enjoys a temperate Mediterranean climate with hot and dry summers and mild but wet winters. Perth is also the sunniest capital city in Australia and is considered one of the hottest experiencing over 250+ days of sunny blue skies.
The southern coast, which includes Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney, has the best climate by far, with mild winters (June to August) between 41°F and 50°F (5°C and 10°C) and warm summers (December to February) between 77°F and 86°F (25°C and 30°C).
South Australia is the driest of the Australian states. Only about one-fifth of the area receives annual precipitation of more than 10 inches (250 mm), and less than half of that has more than 16 inches (400 mm).
Hobart, with an annual average of 626mm, is Australia's second-driest capital city (after Adelaide), while on the west coast an annual average of 2400mm ensures the rainforest thrives.
The far northwest receives the least, less than 180 mm (7 in) annually, while the east receives between 600 and 1,200 mm (24 and 47 in) of rain.
Perth, Western Australia
In fact, it's officially the sunniest capital city in the world, with an average of eight hours of sun per day, year-round. It's wonderfully close to Fremantle and Rottnest Island too, so you can take home a suitcase full of brightly-lit quokka selfies.
The wettest city in the world is Buenaventura, where it rains 258 days per year. Australia's rainiest city is Cairns in Queensland, with 117 days of precipitation. The UK's wettest city is Londonderry in Northern Ireland (147 days). The wettest city in the US is Hilo, Hawaii (211 days).
Oodnadatta, South Australia
It is here where a temperature of nearly 51 degrees Celsius was recorded back in 1960 and the town displays a sign that proudly claims it as being the driest town of the driest state on the driest continent.
State of the Climate 2022 reported that there has been a shift towards drier conditions across the south-west and south-east Australia, especially for the cool season months of April to October.
SYDNEY, MELBOURNE, AND BRISBANE
The climate in the Australian desert – generally referred to as the outback on maps – is very hot and dry. During summer, the outback is very hot and humid – some days have seen temperatures as high as 50 °C.
Mr. MacAlpine-Belton is right that Alice Springs is the least humid large settlement in Australia. If the questioner is looking for a place to settle, Alice Springs might be a challenging choice, due its extreme isolation and high crime rate. What is the capital of Australia?
Adelaide is actually statistically the driest of all Australia's capital cities with the rain being unreliable, light and infrequent throughout various times of the year.
NSW best state in Australia for renewable energy, report finds.
Australia's Antarctic territory gets even colder. The Bureau's weather station at Davis Station on the coast of Antarctica has an average winter minimum temperature of -20.1C. The lowest temperature on record at Davis is -41.8C, recorded on 27 April 1998.
“Perth is the windiest capital, with an average wind speed of 15.6 km/h; Canberra is the least windy with an average wind speed of 5.4 km/h.” So, despite the freak flash flooding of 1971, Canberra is Australia's least windy city. What's it like where you live? Have you found Australia's wind free location?
In 2021, Tasmania received the highest annual rainfall of any state or territory in Australia at an average of 1378 millimeters.
Perth may be best known for its idyllic beaches and sunny skies, but the West Australian capital sees more rain than Melbourne, Hobart and London — cities often associated with gloomy, wet weather.
The Atacama Desert is the driest place in the world. Located in Arica, Chile, its annual rainfall is only 0.03 inches. The landscape is so arid, that NASA's astrobiologists travel to the Atacama Desert hoping it will lead them to clues about life on other planets.