Alice Springs is hotter in summer and colder at night in winter than most visitors expect. These are the long-term averages.
The Bureau of Meteorology keeps climate averages for Alice Springs Airport, station 015590, at 546 metres above sea level, with records from 1941 to 2026. The figures below are means across those years. They are not a forecast. BoM climate averages for Alice Springs Airport.
| Month | Mean max °C | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| January | 36.6 | Walk at dawn only. Pool in the afternoon. |
| February | 35.3 | Still very hot; dawn walks only. |
| March | 32.8 | Still hot by midday; mornings improve. |
| April | 28.4 | Good walking weather starts. Parrtjima in 2027. |
| May | 23.1 | Comfortable days; nights cool quickly. |
| June | 20.0 | Mean minimum 4.9 °C. Pack a warm layer. |
| July | 19.9 | Mean minimum 3.9 °C. Coldest nights of the year. |
| August | 22.9 | Mean minimum 5.9 °C. Clear, crisp mornings. |
| September | 27.5 | Warming quickly; start walks early. |
| October | 31.3 | Early starts again. |
| November | 33.8 | Hot; plan gorge walks before 10am. |
| December | 35.6 | Summer proper. Christmas lunches at the hotel. |
- Annual rainfall
- 283.4 mm
- Rain days of 1 mm or more
- 29.8 a year
- Mean daily sunshine
- 9.6 hours
- Clear days
- 199.4 a year
What those numbers mean
Two things stand out. First, the spread between day and night: a July day at 20 °C can follow a night under 4 °C, so you need layers, not one jacket. Second, the sun: nearly two hundred clear days a year and almost ten hours of sunshine a day on average. You burn quickly here, in any season.
- Every season, every day out
- Two litres of water per person as a minimum, more if you walk
- A wide-brim hat and sunglasses
- Sunscreen, reapplied
- Closed shoes with grip for loose rock
- A small first-aid kit
- A fly net from spring to autumn
- Add in winter (May to August)
- A fleece or down layer for early starts and evenings
- A beanie and gloves for sunrise balloon flights or stargazing
- Long trousers for the evenings
- Add in summer (November to March)
- Electrolyte sachets
- A long-sleeved light shirt rather than a singlet
- A cooler bag for the car
- Swimmers for the hotel pool, which is where your afternoon belongs
Best months for a base-camp trip
If the West MacDonnell Ranges are the reason for your visit, April to September gives the most walking hours in comfortable temperatures. April has Parrtjima in 2027, June has the Finke Desert Race weekend, and both push up demand for rooms in town. October and November are still good for early starts, followed by the pool.
Our room request form has a field for notes. If you are coming in the heat, say so, and we will ask for a room that gets afternoon shade if the hotel can tell us which ones do.