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Forrest: weather history since 1947

Forrest is a weather station located 159 m above sea level. Its records go back to 1947: 76 years of temperature are available up to 2025, along with rainfall and a comparison with two reference normals. Over 1991–2020 the annual mean temperature there is 18.6 °C, clearly higher than over 1961–1990 (17.7 °C): a difference of 0.9 °C. The warmest year of the series is 2013 (19.7 °C) and the coldest 1952 (16.8 °C). The last complete year, 2024, ranks 3 out of 76, from warmest to coldest. Over 1961–2025, the annual mean temperature changes by +0.26 °C per decade. The station ranks 43 out of 227 stations, from the fastest rise to the slowest.

Annual mean temperature since 1947

161718192021
19471960197019801990200020102025
Mean temperature of the year   10-year running mean   1961–1990 normal (17.7 °C)   1991–2020 normal (18.6 °C)

The first ten years of the series (1947–1956) average 17.4 °C; the last ten (2015–2024) average 18.8 °C, a difference of +1.4 °C. All of the 10 warmest years in the series fall after 1999; the warmest is 2013 (19.7 °C). The ten-year running mean peaks at 19.0 °C (2020) and bottoms out at 17.3 °C (1958).

Annual rainfall since 1947

0100200300400
19471960197019801990200020102025
Rainfall of the year   Series average (218 mm)

On average 218 mm of rain falls per year over the 28 documented years. The wettest year, 2011, received 387 mm; the driest, 2019, only 38 mm, which is 10.2 times less. Over 1991–2020, February is on average the wettest month (33 mm) and October the driest (11 mm). Between 2005 and 2025, 8 years out of 20 exceeded the series average.

Monthly normals: 1961–1990 against 1991–2020

The table compares, month by month, the mean temperature and the rainfall total of two thirty-year reference periods. The difference column shows what the recent period changes compared with the earlier one.

Monthly temperature and rainfall normals, 1961–1990 and 1991–2020
MonthTemp. 1961–1990Temp. 1991–2020DifferenceRain 1961–1990Rain 1991–2020Difference
January24.1 °C24.8 °C+0.7 °C–26 mm–
February23.7 °C24.4 °C+0.7 °C–33 mm–
March21.2 °C22.0 °C+0.8 °C–21 mm–
April18.4 °C19.1 °C+0.7 °C–16 mm–
May14.6 °C15.5 °C+0.9 °C–16 mm–
June11.7 °C12.4 °C+0.7 °C–16 mm–
July10.8 °C11.9 °C+1.1 °C–16 mm–
August12.0 °C13.3 °C+1.3 °C–13 mm–
September15.1 °C16.2 °C+1.1 °C–12 mm–
October17.8 °C19.1 °C+1.3 °C–11 mm–
November20.4 °C21.5 °C+1.1 °C–22 mm–
December22.3 °C23.2 °C+0.9 °C–23 mm–

The largest temperature change is in August (+1.3 °C) and the smallest in January (+0.7 °C); over the year the mean difference is +0.9 °C, and 12 months out of twelve are warmer than before.

Records at Forrest

  • Warmest year: 19.7 °C, in 2013
  • Coldest year: 16.8 °C, in 1952
  • Driest year: 38 mm, in 2019
  • Wettest year: 387 mm, in 2011
  • Warmest month: 28.2 °C, in February 2007
  • Coldest month: 8.8 °C, in July 1968
  • Wettest month: 209 mm, in February 2011
  • Hottest day: 50.1 °C, on 13 January 1979
  • Coldest day: −5.4 °C, on 19 July 1976
  • Heaviest rain in one day: 78.0 mm, on 24 January 2000

2.9 °C separate the warmest year of the series from the coldest. Between the hottest and the coldest day on record, the range reaches 55.5 °C.

Temperature trend over 1961–2025

The regression line of annual mean temperature changes by +0.26 °C per decade between 1961 and 2025, about +1.7 °C over the whole period. That is faster than the median of the 227 stations (+0.19 °C per decade), by 0.07 °C per decade: the station ranks 43 out of 227.

The last 24 months against the 1991–2020 normal

−202
October 2024September 2026
Warmer than the 1991–2020 normal   Cooler than the 1991–2020 normal

Over the last 23 months (October 2024 to September 2026), 10 months out of 13 were warmer than the 1991–2020 normal for the same month; the mean departure is +1.1 °C. The highest departure was in January 2025 (+2.3 °C); the lowest, in May 2025 (−0.2 °C). The last twelve months add up to 318 mm of rain, which is 141 % of the 1991–2020 annual normal (225 mm).

Temperature and rainfall of recent months, compared with the 1991–2020 normals
MonthTemperatureDeparture from normalRainNormal rain
October 202420.9 °C+1.8 °C37 mm11 mm
November 202422.2 °C+0.7 °C15 mm22 mm
December 202425.2 °C+2.0 °C15 mm23 mm
January 202527.1 °C+2.3 °C18 mm26 mm
February 2025––2 mm33 mm
March 202524.2 °C+2.2 °C3 mm21 mm
April 202519.5 °C+0.4 °C27 mm16 mm
May 202515.3 °C−0.2 °C1 mm16 mm
June 202514.5 °C+2.1 °C4 mm16 mm
July 202511.8 °C−0.1 °C21 mm16 mm
August 202513.9 °C+0.6 °C7 mm13 mm
September 202516.1 °C−0.1 °C5 mm12 mm
October 202520.6 °C+1.5 °C35 mm11 mm
December 202523.8 °C+0.6 °C0 mm23 mm
January 2026––57 mm26 mm
February 2026––34 mm33 mm
March 2026––19 mm21 mm
April 2026––19 mm16 mm
May 2026––9 mm16 mm
June 2026––35 mm16 mm
July 2026––5 mm16 mm
August 2026––41 mm13 mm
September 2026––59 mm12 mm

Data source and licence

Data source: Bureau of Meteorology (ACORN-SAT) and NOAA NCEI (GHCN-Daily) (dataset “ACORN-SAT v2 daily (homogenised) + GHCN-Daily”), licence CC BY 4.0; Public domain (NOAA NCEI). Last updated: 29 October 2026.

The data for Forrest are shown as the source publishes them; this site does not correct them. A year is kept only if at least eleven months of measurements are available, and a normal is computed only with at least twenty years of data out of its thirty. Temperatures are rounded to 0.1 °C and rainfall to the millimetre. The station is one of 227 stations in Australia: the overview page lets you compare them.

Frequently asked questions

What is the annual mean temperature at Forrest?

Over 1991–2020, the annual mean temperature at Forrest is 18.6 °C. It was 17.7 °C over 1961–1990, a difference of +0.9 °C.

What is the warmest year ever measured at Forrest?

Since records began in 1947, the warmest year at Forrest is 2013, at 19.7 °C on average. The coldest is 1952 (16.8 °C).

Is the climate at Forrest getting warmer?

Yes: at Forrest, the annual mean temperature rises by 0.26 °C per decade between 1961 and 2025, +1.7 °C in total. 10 of the 10 warmest years in the series fall after 1999.

Neighbouring stations

See all stations in the weather history