Australia’s annual mean temperature was close to 1.5°C above average in 2024, making it the country’s second warmest year on record.

Data released this week by the Bureau of Meteorology has revealed that Australia’s national mean temperature in 2024 was 1.46°C above the 1961-1990 average. This is only the second time in 115 years of records that Australia’s annual temperature has been more than 1.4°C above this 30-year baseline. The only warmer year was 2019 – Australia's warmest and driest year on record – which had a mean annual temperature anomaly of +1.51°C.

Image: Australia’s annual mean temperature anomalies between 1910 and 2024. Source: Bureau of Meteorology

What makes 2024 exceptional is that, unlike 2019, there was quite a lot of rain in Australia, with 2024 ranking as the country’s wettest year since 2011 and its 8th wettest year in records dating back to 1900.

Historically, Australia’s warmest years have coincided with periods of low rainfall and drought. While some parts of southern and western Australia did see lacklustre rainfall in 2024, most of the country was abnormally wet. The map below shows the annual rainfall deciles in 2024. The blue areas had a wetter-than-average year, and the red areas were drier than usual.

Image: Rainfall deciles in 2024. Source: Bureau of Meteorology

The next map shows mean temperature deciles across Australia in 2024, revealing that all of the country experienced near to above average annual temperatures despite the abundant rainfall. Much of the west coast and parts of central and eastern Australia had their warmest year on record.

Image: Mean temperature deciles for 2024. Source: Bureau of Meteorology

This coincidence of above average rainfall and record-challenging heat speaks to the influence climate change is having on Australia’s baseline temperatures. Even in a year riddled with cloud cover, rainfall and thunderstorms, temperatures were still substantially warmer than recent decades.

One reason for the excessive rainfall in 2024 was abnormally warm seas surrounding Australia, which enhanced evaporation and provided more fuel for precipitation. While the annual average sea surface temperature is not yet available for the Australian region, it’s likely that 2024 will be also one of the country’s top two warmest years on record for oceanic heat.