Climate zones in Australia, 1991 to 2020
Share of Australia's classified land in each Köppen-Geiger zone in 1991 to 2020. Zones under 0.05% are left out. The 9,996,230 map cells used cover 100% of the country's outline (about 7,686,894 km²).
By major group: B (arid) 78%, C (temperate) 12%, A (tropical) 10%.
Australia has no single dominant climate. The biggest zone, BWh (hot desert), covers only 45% of its classified land in 1991 to 2020, followed by BSh (27%) and Aw (10%). 7 zones each cover 1% or more of it. In plain terms, hot desert means very dry and hot. Under the middle-of-the-road scenario (SSP2-4.5), 15% of its land is projected to be in a different zone by 2071 to 2099, with the biggest gain going to BWh (hot desert).
How Australia's zones have changed and may change
Each row compares a map with 1991 to 2020. "Share in a different zone" is the share of the country's area whose class is different from 1991 to 2020. Future rows are model projections under an emissions scenario, not forecasts.
| Map | Share in a different zone | Different major group | Biggest gain | Biggest loss |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1901 to 1930 (past) | 16% | 6% | BSh +4.1 percentage points | BWk -2.5 percentage points |
| 2071 to 2099, SSP1-2.6 (low emissions) | 11% | 2.9% | BWh +4 percentage points | BSk -2.6 percentage points |
| 2071 to 2099, SSP2-4.5 (middle of the road) | 15% | 3.5% | BWh +5.3 percentage points | BSk -4.5 percentage points |
| 2071 to 2099, SSP5-8.5 (high emissions) | 22% | 5.4% | BWh +8.9 percentage points | BSk -6 percentage points |
For the past row, the comparison runs the other way: the 1901 to 1930 map against 1991 to 2020.
Zone shares by map
| Zone | 1901 to 1930 | 1991 to 2020 | SSP1-2.6 (2071 to 2099) | SSP2-4.5 (2071 to 2099) | SSP5-8.5 (2071 to 2099) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BWh Hot desert | 44% | 45% | 49% | 50% | 54% |
| BSh Hot semi-arid (steppe) | 23% | 27% | 28% | 29% | 28% |
| Aw Tropical savannah | 8% | 10% | 9.1% | 9.7% | 9.4% |
| BSk Cold semi-arid (steppe) | 7.3% | 6.3% | 3.7% | 1.8% | 0.3% |
| Cfa Humid subtropical | 5.9% | 4.4% | 4.3% | 4.4% | 4.7% |
| Cfb Temperate oceanic | 4.5% | 4.1% | 3.4% | 2.9% | 1.8% |
| Csb Warm-summer Mediterranean | 2.4% | 1.5% | 1.1% | 0.8% | 0.3% |
| Csa Hot-summer Mediterranean | 1.1% | 0.8% | 0.9% | 1% | 1% |
| Cwa Humid subtropical with dry winter | 0.9% | 0.7% | 0.4% | 0.1% | - |
| BWk Cold desert | 2.9% | 0.4% | - | - | - |
| Am Tropical monsoon | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| Cfc Subpolar oceanic | 0.1% | 0.1% | - | - | - |
Percentages are of the country's classified land in each map. A dash means under 0.05%.
Cities in Australia and their climate zones
| City | 1991 to 2020 | 2071 to 2099, SSP2-4.5 |
|---|---|---|
| Sydney | Cfa Humid subtropical | Cfa Humid subtropical |
| Melbourne | Cfb Temperate oceanic | Cfa Humid subtropical |
| Brisbane | Cfa Humid subtropical | Cfa Humid subtropical |
| Perth | Csa Hot-summer Mediterranean | Csa Hot-summer Mediterranean |
| Adelaide | Csb Warm-summer Mediterranean | Csa Hot-summer Mediterranean |
| Gold Coast | Cfa Humid subtropical | Aw Tropical savannah |
Zones found in Australia
Data: Beck et al. (2023), CC BY 4.0; country outlines from Natural Earth. In 1901 to 1930 the most common zone was BWh. See data sources and licences.