Australia is known for having a hot Christmas, with temperatures often exceeding 40ºC in parts of the country and beaches often busy throughout the holiday period. But how hot can it get in Australia at Christmas time and which location holds the unfortunate title of Australia’s highest Christmas temperature on record?

Late-December is always a hot time of year in Australia because the sun is at its highest angle in the Southern Hemisphere sky near the date of the summer solstice.

This abundant sunshine and long daylength allows temperatures to soar across the vast continent.

Image: An approximation of the expected maximum temperatures on Christmas Day this year, based on the ECMWF-HRES model.

The highest temperature ever recorded in Australia on Christmas Day was 48.3ºC at Gascoyne Junction, WA in 1997. WA’s Marble Bar came close to this mark in 2018, when it reached 48.0ºC to set Australia 2nd highest Christmas Day temperature on record.

Australia’s capital cities are also prone to some serious holiday heat around Christmas.

Perth currently holds the record for the highest Christmas Day temperature in an Australian capital city, after reaching a sweltering 42.8ºC on December 25 in 2021.

The table below shows the hottest Christmas Days on record for each Australian capital city.