Queensland
All but one of the 11 years from 2013 to 2023 recorded a state-average annual temperature above the 30-year (1991-2020) average of 24°C. Nine years from 2013 to 2023 were amongst the top ten warmest since records began in 1910. The state-average annual temperature is the average of the daily maximum and daily minimum.
Queensland’s warmest year on record was 2017, with the state-wide annual temperature (24.9°C) +0.9°C above the 1991 to 2020 average.
During the last five years:
- 2019 was the seventh warmest year on record (+0.5°C above average)
- 2020 was the equal fourth warmest year on record (+0.7°C above average)
- 2023 was the tenth warmest year on record (+0.4°C above average).
Long-term variability and trends
While records indicate Queensland’s state-average annual temperature has warmed by around +1.5°C since 1910, most of this warming has occurred over the past 50 to 60 years.
Taking 1960 as a reference year, the state-average annual temperature has risen at about +0.25°C per decade, with average daily minimum temperatures warming at a slightly higher rate than average daily maximum temperatures.
Queensland’s state-average daily minimum temperature was:
- 17.4°C from 1991 to 2020
- 16.6°C from 1961 to 1990.
The state-average daily maximum temperature was:
- 30.6°C from 1991 to 2020
- 29.9°C from 1961 to 1990.
The strongest warming since 1960 has been observed in inland parts of the state.
Departures from average of the state-average annual temperature have been calculated using differences from the average annual temperature over the contemporary 30-year period (1991-2020). The 1991 to 2020 anomaly base period is consistent with that used in the Bureau of Meteorology Australian climate variability and change - Time series graphs. Publicly available ACORN-SAT datasets for individual locations included data up to the end of 2022 at the time of publication.
Five-year average temperature (celsius) 2019–2023
Decile for average temperature 2019–2023
Lowest minimum temperature (celsius) 2019–2023
Highest maximum temperature (celsius) 2019–2023
