It was a warm and dry September across most parts of Australia, with the country as a whole registering its 2nd-warmest September on record, while parts of the country were exceptionally dry, including the Murray-Darling Basin, which endured its second-driest September on record.

Here’s a quick look at some of the stand-out climate statistics for Australia from September 2026 in terms of both temperatures and rainfall.

Temperatures in Australia in September 2026

Australia's area-averaged mean temperature (the average of both maximums and minimums at hundreds of weather stations across the country) was 2.71 °C above the long-term average.

As stated, that made it the 2nd-warmest September since national observations began in 1910.

Each state and territory had at least its 6th-warmest September on record, with South Australia registering an anomaly of 3.55°C above the long-term average.

A portion of Far North Queensland was the only area of significant size in any state to record below-average temperatures in September. This was due to cloudy skies and above-average September rainfall. 

Rainfall in Australia in September 2026

Image: Rainfall deciles across Australia in September 2026. Source: BoM.

While the nation as a whole saw rainfall that was only 17% below the long-term average, many areas saw near record-breaking rainfall deficiencies.

Southeastern Australia had its 2nd-driest September on record

Eastern Australia had its 2nd-driest September on record

The Murray-Darling Basin (which includes parts of Qld, NSW, Vic and the ACT) had its 2nd-driest September on record.

While the overall national trend was drier than usual, a large section of Western Australia’s southern and central inland received high rainfall in September.

This was due to a surface trough that interacted with an upper-level low which generated heavy showers and thunderstorms for a few days from September 22.

Why was it so warm and dry in September?

The predominantly warm conditions for much of Australia during September this year was due in large part to a lack of cold fronts from the Southern Ocean pushing northwards and bringing rain and cool air.

While these systems primarily impact the southern fringe of the country, the cool air in their wake will often drop temperatures across a large portion of the country.

The influence of the current strong phase of El Niño also cannot be understated, as it typically produces drier-than-normal conditions across much of Australia in springtime, especially the eastern part of the country – and clear skies tend to make for warmer days.

Image: Sea surface temperature anomalies in Australian waters on September 30, 2026. Source: BoM.

Warmer seas transfer heat to the atmosphere, and sea surface temperatures in Australian waters have also been above average for much of this year to date.

The BoM’s final September reading on the 30th was no exception, with warm sea surface anomalies evident around much of the country except for about half of the Queensland coastline.

Finally, the ongoing influence of climate change is another factor that must be included in any analysis of the warm September, as the warming climate increases the likelihood of above-average temperatures in all months and seasons.