Maps of recent and past conditions

High resolution maps and data, ranging from the most recent day, back to 1900 for rainfall and 1910 for temperature.

Rainfall and temperature history posters

The history posters show a map for every year, in one page. Quickly compare wet or dry and warm or cool years.

Recent and historical maps and grids

The links on this page provide gridded datasets for rainfall, temperature, vapour pressure and solar exposure, over time periods ranging from daily, weekly, monthly to 3-yearly.

Rainfall

  • Australian rainfall starting in the year 1900, available in spatial scales down to 0.05° resolution for daily data and down to 0.01° resolution for monthly analysis.
  • Map types include Rainfall Totals, Percentages, Deciles, Drought, Anomalies, 1 Year Difference, 2 Year Difference, 3 Year Difference.

Temperature

  • Australian temperature starting in the year 1910, available in spatial scales down to 0.05° resolution for daily or monthly time scales.
  • Map types include Mean Maximum, Mean Minimum, Maximum Anomaly, Highest Maximum, Highest Minimum, Lowest Maximum, Lowest Minimum, Mean Temperature, Mean Anomaly, Maximum Decile, Minimum Decile, Mean Decile, 9am - 3pm Maximum.

Vapour pressure, Solar exposure and Normalised Difference Vegetation Index

  • Also available is vapour pressure (1971–present) and solar exposure (1990–present) at 0.05° resolution for daily or monthly time scales.
  • Vapour Pressure maps include 9am Vapour Pressure, 3pm Vapour Pressure, 9am Vapour Pressure Anomaly, 3pm Vapour Pressure Anomaly.
  • Solar Exposure maps include Solar Exposure.

Australian Gridded Climate Data (AGCD)

The Australian Gridded Climate Data (AGCD) is the generalised name for the spatial climate analyses for Australia. It consists of the original analyses AGCD v1 (known previously as AWAP) and the updated analyses AGCD v2.

AGCD v1: Australian Water Availability Project (AWAP)

The system used to produce daily rainfall, daily and monthly temperature, vapour pressure and solar was developed under the Australian Water Availability Project.

This project was part supported by the National Heritage Trust with partners in the Bureau of Rural Sciences and CSIRO. Science underpinning the AWAP gridded analyses: Jones et al, 2009.

AWAP (AGCD v1) monthly rainfall gridded data will continue to be available for a transition period.

AGCD v2

The AGCD system is used to improve the spatial representation of Australian rainfall and drought as part of the 'Enhanced weather information for farm drought resilience in NSW' initiative.

The project was supported by New South Wales (NSW) government under the 2015 Drought Strategy, administered through the NSW Rural Assistance Authority (RAA) .

Monthly rainfall data is the first AGCD v2 dataset to be published. Further details: About AGCD v2 monthly rainfall data

Science underpinning the AGCD gridded analyses: Evans et al, 2020.

 

Creative Commons By Attribution logo Unless otherwise noted, all maps, graphs and diagrams in this page are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence

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