THE Bureau of Meteorology has released its official record of Australia's climate, water and significant climate and weather events for 2023.
The Annual Climate Statement for 2023 includes a full analysis and description of last year's temperature, rainfall, hydrology statistics, sea ice, oceans, greenhouse gases and significant weather events.
The report confirms 2023 was warmer than average for Australia overall, while it was a year of contrast between the north and south for rainfall.
Since temperature records began in 1910, 2023 was the equal eighth-warmest year on record and the warmest since 2020.
Both the mean annual maximum and minimum temperatures were above average for all states and the Northern Territory.
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There was widespread warmth throughout the second half of the year.
The mean national temperature for June, July, August, September, November and December were among the ten warmest on record (the exception was October which was the 15th warmest).
In Victoria, the mean temperature was 0.69 °C warmer than the 1961–1990 average for the state and the warmest since 2019.
Mean maximum temperatures were above average across Victoria, with the state's east and north-west recording temperatures within the top 10 per cent of historical observations.
Maximum temperatures delivered during September were the highest on record for the month across much of the state, making for a hot start to Spring.
Rainfall was above average in the north of Australia and below average in the parts of the east, south and west.
Victoria overall had 628.00 mm rainfall in 2023, as an area average across the state, which is 5.3 per cent below average.
However some areas of northern Victoria and pockets of the West and South Gippsland districts experienced above average rainfall and flooding.
Only Queensland and the Northern Territory had overall above average rainfall – all the other states and territories had below average rainfall in 2023.
In the first quarter of 2023, Australia experienced multiple major flood events mostly across inland and northern regions.
August to October 2023 was Australia's driest three month period since rainfall records began in 1900.
Surface water storages declined in 2023, including those in the Murray–Darling Basin.
However, Australia's total surface water storage volume remained high at the end of 2023 (74.1 per cent of its accessible capacity).
After three years consecutive years of La Niña and widespread rainfall, La Niña weakened and dissipated through summer 2022 to 2023.
The other major global-scale influences on Australia’s climate in 2023 were El Niño and a strong positive Indian Ocean Dipole which were established in early spring, and a positive phase of the Southern Annular Mode towards the end of the year.
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Facts at a glance
Winter 2023 was Australia's warmest on record, with the national mean temperature 1.53C above the 1961–1990 average.
September 2023 was Australia’s driest September on record with total rainfall around 70% below the 1961–1990 average, and the second driest month since national rainfall records began in 1900, behind April 1902.
August to October 2023 was Australia's driest three month period since rainfall records began in 1900.
Sea surface temperatures for the Australian region were the seventh-highest on record since 1900 at 0.54°C above the 1961–1990 average.
Globally, sea surface temperatures were the highest on record – and each of the past 10 years have been among the 10 warmest on record.
Throughout 2023 net Antarctic sea-ice extent was either at record low levels or well below the 1991–2020 average – based on continuous satellite imagery since 1979.
