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Longreach: weather history since 1910

Longreach is a weather station located 192 m above sea level, 3 km from Longreach. Its records go back to 1910: 99 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 24.1 °C, clearly higher than over 1961–1990 (23.1 °C): a difference of 1.0 °C. The warmest year of the series is 2024 (25.7 °C) and the coldest 1950 (21.2 °C). The last complete year, 2024, ranks 1 out of 99, from warmest to coldest. Over 1961–2025, the annual mean temperature changes by +0.32 °C per decade. The station ranks 14 out of 227 stations, from the fastest rise to the slowest.

Annual mean temperature since 1910

20222426
191019201930194019501960197019801990200020102025
Mean temperature of the year   10-year running mean   1961–1990 normal (23.1 °C)   1991–2020 normal (24.1 °C)

The first ten years of the series (1910–1919) average 23.1 °C; the last ten (2012–2024) average 24.5 °C, a difference of +1.4 °C. Of the ten warmest years in the series, 8 fall after 1999. The warmest is 2024 (25.7 °C). The ten-year running mean peaks at 24.2 °C (2009) and bottoms out at 22.5 °C (1981).

Annual rainfall since 1910

050010001500
191019201930194019501960197019801990200020102025
Rainfall of the year   Series average (437 mm)

On average 437 mm of rain falls per year over the 64 documented years. The wettest year, 1950, received 1026 mm; the driest, 2002, only 107 mm, which is 9.6 times less. The 1991–2020 normal (409 mm per year) is 6 mm (1.4 %) below the 1961–1990 one (415 mm). Over 1991–2020, February is on average the wettest month (80 mm) and August the driest (9 mm). Between 2002 and 2025, 7 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
January29.8 °C30.4 °C+0.6 °C65 mm78 mm+13 mm
February29.4 °C29.6 °C+0.2 °C69 mm80 mm+11 mm
March27.4 °C28.1 °C+0.7 °C65 mm38 mm−27 mm
April23.4 °C24.4 °C+1.0 °C41 mm20 mm−21 mm
May18.7 °C19.9 °C+1.2 °C29 mm14 mm−15 mm
June15.2 °C16.5 °C+1.3 °C13 mm24 mm+11 mm
July14.6 °C16.0 °C+1.4 °C21 mm11 mm−10 mm
August16.7 °C17.8 °C+1.1 °C14 mm9 mm−5 mm
September20.7 °C22.2 °C+1.5 °C9 mm17 mm+8 mm
October24.9 °C25.9 °C+1.0 °C15 mm23 mm+8 mm
November27.7 °C28.6 °C+0.9 °C23 mm37 mm+14 mm
December29.2 °C30.1 °C+0.9 °C51 mm58 mm+7 mm

The largest temperature change is in September (+1.5 °C) and the smallest in February (+0.2 °C); over the year the mean difference is +1.0 °C, and 12 months out of twelve are warmer than before. For rainfall, the largest difference is in November (+14 mm) and the smallest in March (−27 mm).

Records at Longreach

  • Warmest year: 25.7 °C, in 2024
  • Coldest year: 21.2 °C, in 1950
  • Driest year: 107 mm, in 2002
  • Wettest year: 1026 mm, in 1950
  • Warmest month: 33.4 °C, in January 2025
  • Coldest month: 11.7 °C, in June 1949
  • Wettest month: 420 mm, in January 1974
  • Hottest day: 48.2 °C, on 26 January 1947
  • Coldest day: −5.0 °C, on 23 June 1949
  • Heaviest rain in one day: 184.6 mm, on 6 April 1989

4.5 °C separate the warmest year of the series from the coldest. Between the hottest and the coldest day on record, the range reaches 53.2 °C.

Temperature trend over 1961–2025

The regression line of annual mean temperature changes by +0.32 °C per decade between 1961 and 2025, about +2.0 °C over the whole period. That is faster than the median of the 227 stations (+0.19 °C per decade), by 0.13 °C per decade: the station ranks 14 out of 227.

The last 24 months against the 1991–2020 normal

−4−2024
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), 9 months out of 12 were warmer than the 1991–2020 normal for the same month; the mean departure is +1.2 °C. The highest departure was in October 2024 (+3.2 °C); the lowest, in June 2025 (−1.0 °C). The last twelve months add up to 443 mm of rain, which is 108 % of the 1991–2020 annual normal (409 mm).

Temperature and rainfall of recent months, compared with the 1991–2020 normals
MonthTemperatureDeparture from normalRainNormal rain
October 202429.1 °C+3.2 °C2 mm23 mm
November 202430.9 °C+2.3 °C27 mm37 mm
December 202432.0 °C+1.9 °C38 mm58 mm
January 202533.4 °C+3.0 °C8 mm78 mm
March 2025––145 mm38 mm
April 2025––39 mm20 mm
May 202520.1 °C+0.2 °C3 mm14 mm
June 202515.5 °C−1.0 °C24 mm24 mm
July 202515.0 °C−1.0 °C10 mm11 mm
August 202517.1 °C−0.7 °C4 mm9 mm
September 202523.0 °C+0.8 °C3 mm17 mm
October 202529.0 °C+3.1 °C2 mm23 mm
November 202530.1 °C+1.5 °C2 mm37 mm
December 202530.7 °C+0.6 °C42 mm58 mm
January 2026––96 mm78 mm
February 2026––188 mm80 mm
March 2026––38 mm38 mm
April 2026––32 mm20 mm
May 2026––4 mm14 mm
June 2026––37 mm24 mm
July 2026––1 mm11 mm
August 2026––1 mm9 mm
September 2026––0 mm17 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 Longreach 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 Longreach?

Over 1991–2020, the annual mean temperature at Longreach is 24.1 °C. It was 23.1 °C over 1961–1990, a difference of +1.0 °C.

What is the warmest year ever measured at Longreach?

Since records began in 1910, the warmest year at Longreach is 2024, at 25.7 °C on average. The coldest is 1950 (21.2 °C).

Is the climate at Longreach getting warmer?

Yes: at Longreach, the annual mean temperature rises by 0.32 °C per decade between 1961 and 2025, +2.0 °C in total. 8 of the 10 warmest years in the series fall after 1999.

Towns near this station

Neighbouring stations

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