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Rutherglen: weather history since 1913

Rutherglen is a weather station located 175 m above sea level, 7 km from Rutherglen. Its records go back to 1913: 68 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 14.7 °C, noticeably higher than over 1961–1990 (14.0 °C): a difference of 0.7 °C. The warmest year of the series is 2019 (16.2 °C) and the coldest 1924 (11.9 °C). The last complete year, 2025, ranks 8 out of 68, from warmest to coldest. Over 1961–2025, the annual mean temperature changes by +0.31 °C per decade. The station ranks 16 out of 227 stations, from the fastest rise to the slowest.

Annual mean temperature since 1913

121416
19131930194019501960197019801990200020102025
Mean temperature of the year   10-year running mean   1961–1990 normal (14.0 °C)   1991–2020 normal (14.7 °C)

The first ten years of the series (1913–1923) average 13.8 °C; the last ten (2014–2025) average 15.3 °C, a difference of +1.5 °C. All of the 10 warmest years in the series fall after 1999; the warmest is 2019 (16.2 °C). The ten-year running mean peaks at 15.3 °C (2022) and bottoms out at 13.5 °C (1924).

Annual rainfall since 1913

050010001500
19131930194019501960197019801990200020102025
Rainfall of the year   Series average (588 mm)

On average 588 mm of rain falls per year over the 110 documented years. The wettest year, 1939, received 1125 mm; the driest, 2006, only 259 mm, which is 4.3 times less. The 1991–2020 normal (558 mm per year) is 52 mm (8.5 %) below the 1961–1990 one (610 mm). Over 1991–2020, July is on average the wettest month (57 mm) and April the driest (32 mm). Between 2004 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
January21.6 °C23.2 °C+1.6 °C38 mm39 mm+1 mm
February21.9 °C22.6 °C+0.7 °C30 mm44 mm+14 mm
March19.0 °C19.1 °C+0.1 °C36 mm37 mm+1 mm
April14.5 °C14.8 °C+0.3 °C45 mm32 mm−13 mm
May10.4 °C10.8 °C+0.4 °C64 mm43 mm−21 mm
June7.5 °C8.4 °C+0.9 °C51 mm50 mm−1 mm
July6.6 °C7.5 °C+0.9 °C69 mm57 mm−12 mm
August8.2 °C8.3 °C+0.1 °C71 mm54 mm−17 mm
September10.1 °C10.5 °C+0.4 °C57 mm54 mm−3 mm
October12.8 °C13.5 °C+0.7 °C61 mm50 mm−11 mm
November16.3 °C17.5 °C+1.2 °C42 mm53 mm+11 mm
December19.4 °C20.4 °C+1.0 °C46 mm45 mm−1 mm

The largest temperature change is in January (+1.6 °C) and the smallest in March (+0.1 °C); over the year the mean difference is +0.7 °C, and 12 months out of twelve are warmer than before. For rainfall, the largest difference is in February (+14 mm) and the smallest in May (−21 mm).

Records at Rutherglen

  • Warmest year: 16.2 °C, in 2019
  • Coldest year: 11.9 °C, in 1924
  • Driest year: 259 mm, in 2006
  • Wettest year: 1125 mm, in 1939
  • Warmest month: 27.9 °C, in January 2019
  • Coldest month: 4.7 °C, in July 1929
  • Wettest month: 252 mm, in February 1928
  • Hottest day: 46.5 °C, on 13 January 1939
  • Coldest day: −7.6 °C, on 8 May 1949
  • Heaviest rain in one day: 114.3 mm, on 8 January 1934

4.3 °C separate the warmest year of the series from the coldest. Between the hottest and the coldest day on record, the range reaches 54.1 °C.

Temperature trend over 1961–2025

The regression line of annual mean temperature changes by +0.31 °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 0.12 °C per decade: the station ranks 16 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 24 months (October 2024 to September 2026), 13 months out of 15 were warmer than the 1991–2020 normal for the same month; the mean departure is +0.8 °C. The highest departure was in March 2025 (+3.4 °C); the lowest, in June 2025 (−1.8 °C). The last twelve months add up to 734 mm of rain, which is 132 % of the 1991–2020 annual normal (558 mm).

Temperature and rainfall of recent months, compared with the 1991–2020 normals
MonthTemperatureDeparture from normalRainNormal rain
October 202414.8 °C+1.3 °C41 mm50 mm
November 202419.5 °C+2.0 °C130 mm53 mm
December 202421.9 °C+1.5 °C41 mm45 mm
January 202523.9 °C+0.7 °C21 mm39 mm
February 202524.2 °C+1.6 °C30 mm44 mm
March 202522.5 °C+3.4 °C5 mm37 mm
April 202516.7 °C+1.9 °C7 mm32 mm
May 202511.3 °C+0.5 °C31 mm43 mm
June 20256.6 °C−1.8 °C70 mm50 mm
July 20257.9 °C+0.4 °C73 mm57 mm
August 20258.6 °C+0.3 °C27 mm54 mm
September 202510.6 °C+0.1 °C48 mm54 mm
October 202513.6 °C+0.1 °C22 mm50 mm
November 202517.1 °C−0.4 °C91 mm53 mm
December 202520.6 °C+0.2 °C34 mm45 mm
January 2026––21 mm39 mm
February 2026––79 mm44 mm
March 2026––106 mm37 mm
April 2026––20 mm32 mm
May 2026––64 mm43 mm
June 2026––94 mm50 mm
July 2026––76 mm57 mm
August 2026––103 mm54 mm
September 2026––24 mm54 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 Rutherglen 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 Rutherglen?

Over 1991–2020, the annual mean temperature at Rutherglen is 14.7 °C. It was 14.0 °C over 1961–1990, a difference of +0.7 °C.

What is the warmest year ever measured at Rutherglen?

Since records began in 1913, the warmest year at Rutherglen is 2019, at 16.2 °C on average. The coldest is 1924 (11.9 °C).

Is the climate at Rutherglen getting warmer?

Yes: at Rutherglen, the annual mean temperature rises by 0.31 °C per decade between 1961 and 2025, +2.0 °C in total. 10 of the 10 warmest years in the series fall after 1999.

Towns near this station

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