Perth Weather -A Guide to the Best Time to Visit Perth
Perth’s beautiful beaches are a popular tourist spot in Western Australia, but the city can be sweltering in the summer. When to visit Perth is typically determined by its weather and what activities interest you.
Perth weather is usually hot and dry in summer with wet, cool winters. The coastal breeze is a welcome relief during the summer months, but it can sometimes be very windy.
Weather in Perth
Perth has four seasons – summer, autumn, winter, and spring. The climate is compared to that of the Mediterranean.
Perth is one of the sunniest cities in the world, with an average of 3,200 hours of sunshine annually,
Winters are mild but can be wet, with heavy downpours during late autumn, winter, and early spring.
Peak Season in Perth
Peak season in Perth is during the summer WA school holidays, with the Easter school holidays following closely behind.
Accommodation is generally cheaper in winter, outside of the July school holidays.
Perth Weather Radar
The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) has a live Perth weather radar showing rainfall.
Perth Weather Forecast
Perth weather 7 day forecast
The Bureau of Meteorology provides a detailed 7-day Perth forecast, which is accurate.
Perth weather 14 days
Time and Date provide an extended 14-day weather forecast for Perth. However, this extended forecast isn’t as accurate as BOM.
Perth Weather by Month
High Season (November to March): The best time for guaranteed sunshine with hot days, but rates peak from mid-December to late January.
Shoulder Season (September, October, April, and May): If you’re okay with taking a chance with the weather, this time will give you cheaper airfares and accommodation. However, rates will increase for the Easter and September school holidays. Spring and autumn are my favourite times of the year.
Low Season (June to August): Winter is the quietest time in Perth and offers the lowest accommodation prices. However, it can be wet and windy, leaving little to do.
Summer
Visit Perth in the summer (December to February) if you want to spend time on the beaches. Avoid if you want to hike or don’t like the heat (January and February are the hottest months of the year). Although average temperatures are about 31°C, they can reach 44°C.
Perth Weather December
December is the start of summer and peak season in Perth. Temperatures start to climb with maximum temperatures averaging 30°C with little rain (lowest of the year). Evenings are mild, with average overnight minimums of 16°C. The afternoon sea breeze, known to locals as the Fremantle Doctor, cools the city down.
Perth Weather January
Summer continues with the second-highest average temperatures of 31°C and an overnight low of 18°C. The sea breeze brings relief to the intense heat. January is mostly dry, with a few rainy days due to cyclones in the northern part of WA.
Perth Weather February
February is the hottest month of the year, with average daytime highs of 32°C. It’s not as busy as schools go back, and residents return to work.
Autumn
March to May is shoulder season in Perth, with fewer crowds and slightly cheaper accommodation. Expect warm sunny days with cooler nights and occasional showers.
Perth Weather March
Perth weather in March remains warm but not too hot – average maximum temperatures of 30°C, minimum of 17°C, and five days of rain.
Perth Weather April
The mean maximum temperature in April drops to a mild 26°C with a minimum of 14°C. Rainfall starts to increase with an average of five rainy days in the month.
Perth Weather May
The last month of autumn brings temperatures of 22°C and 11°C overnight with more rain. The average rainfall for May is 88mm, with eleven mean days of rain.
Winter
June to August is Perth’s winter and its quietest time, with not as much to do. Winter is the wettest time of year in Perth and the coldest.
Perth Weather June
June is the official start of winter when average daytime temperatures drop to 19°C and 9°C overnight. It is the second wettest month of the year after July, with 124mm of rainfall and half the month experiencing some showers.
Perth Weather July
With an average of 18°C during the day and 8°C overnight, July is Perth’s coldest month. About 147mm of rain falls over 17 days.
Perth Weather August
Expect similar temperatures in August as in July, with slightly less rain.
Spring
Springtime in Perth is a beautiful time to visit, with wildflowers blooming. Days start to warm up with maximum temperatures between 20°C and 27°C and less rain.
Perth Weather September
Not much of a difference in daytime temperature to August, but less rain with 82 mm.
Perth Weather October
Perth starts to warm up with daytime mean temperatures of 23°C and minimums of 12°C. About 90mm of rain usually only falls over about nine days.
Perth Weather November
Daytime averages increase to 27°C and 14°C overnight. Expect about six days of rain a month and 25mm.
The Best Time to Visit Perth
The best time to visit Perth is from September to November and March to May.
September to November allows you to experience spectacular wildflowers, and the weather is warm with little rainfall.
March to May has the best weather, with warm days and cool nights, and the ocean is at its warmest.
In January and February, you may experience heat waves and tropical storms.
However, it depends on what you want to do in Perth and your budget.
Best Time for Sunny Weather
The best time to visit Perth for hot, sunny weather is from December to March.
Best Time for Beaches
To experience Perth’s beaches at their best, visit between November and April.
In summer, the average water temperature is 20.9 to 22.8°C. The ocean is warmest in March with an average of 23.4°C and coldest in winter and spring when it ranges from 19.4 to 21.3°C.
Best Time for Weddings & Honeymoons
The optimal time for weddings and honeymoons in Perth is from November to March when rainfall is infrequent.
Best Time for Deals
Winter is the cheapest time to visit Perth, but you may find some deals in the shoulder seasons of spring and autumn.
Best Time for Sightseeing
Visit Perth from November to March for sightseeing. However, avoid January and February if you don’t like the heat.
Best Time for Families
The best time for families to visit Perth is November to mid-December, February and March. Avoid the Australian school holidays when accommodation is at capacity, and the prices are at their highest.
Best Time for Hiking
The shoulder seasons of spring and autumn are the best for hiking in Perth. Waterfalls are at their prime usually in September, when wildflowers bloom.
Flies can be a nuisance in spring, which is why I prefer hiking in the autumn months.
Best Time for Wildflowers
To see Western Australian wildflowers, visit Perth in September. The season begins in the northern part of WA in June and extends south, reaching Perth in September and the South West region in October.
You don’t have to travel far; Kings Park, in the heart of Perth, has a spectacular display.
Best Time for Whale Watching
Western Australia is one of the world’s best whale-watching destinations, with two main whale-watching seasons.
Our Humpback Highway has the largest whale migration in the Southern Hemisphere. In April, around 35,000 whales leave the feeding grounds of Antarctica to raise their young in the warm waters of WA’s north west. Their return journey from September to December brings them closer to the coastline.
March to May
From March to May, male humpbacks visit Flinders Bay, Augusta, where they mate. The females then head along the WA coast to Coral Bay and Exmouth, in the Kimberley region.
The Blue Whale, the world’s largest mammal, comes to Perth Canyon (30 nautical miles off the coast of Perth) to feed on krill from March to May.
August to December
From September to November, the female humpback whales with newborn calves make their way back and can sometimes be seen from Perth’s coastline.
In Flinders Bay, the first pregnant females of the endangered Southern Right Whales arrive in July. Numbers peak in August with the arrival of mothers and newborn calves enjoying the sheltered waters. Humpback Whales are also regularly sighted during August but less often than earlier in the season. This time of year allows you to see the Southern Right and Humpback whales in one day if you are lucky.
Further afield, orcas visit Bremer Bay from January to the beginning of April.
Best Time for Wineries
Visiting wineries in Western Australia is a year-round activity. Spring and autumn are perfect weather for lunches and enjoying the vineyards’ outdoor areas. Some cellar doors have log fires in winter.
Noongar Calendar
Noongar country extends from Leeman on Australia’s Coral Coast to beyond Cape Arid, near Esperance, in Australia’s southwest. The Noongar calendar includes six seasons – Birak, Bunuru, Djeran, Makuru, Djilba, and Kambarang.
Each season represents seasonal changes that occur annually, like the flowering of different plants, the hibernation of reptiles, and the moulting of swans.
As the land guides the seasons, they can be long or short and do not have set dates.
Visit Kaartdijin Noongar (Welcome to Noongar Knowledge) for more information on Noongar culture.
FAQ
Does Perth have daylight savings?
Perth does not observe daylight savings. The time zone in Western Australia is Australian Western Standard Time (AWST), UTC +8.
When does Perth have the longest hours of daylight?
December has the longest daylight hours in Perth, with sunrise at about 5 am and sunset at approximately 7.30 pm.
When does Perth have the shortest hours of daylight?
June has the shortest daylight hours in Perth, with sunrise around 7:15 am and sunset at about 5:20 pm.
Does it snow in Perth?
Snow has never been recorded in Perth’s CBD, but dustings have been reported in the Perth Hills.
Snowfall is usually limited to the peak of Bluff Knoll in Stirling Range National Park.
Western Australia Travel Guide
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