Sydney Temperature by Month

Sydney, New South Wales, Australia has an average annual maximum temperature of 22°C (72°F), with moderate seasonal shifts ranging from 18°C (64°F) in July to 26°C (79°F) in January. Below you'll find a full monthly breakdown and a comparison with cities worldwide.

Sydney experiences balanced seasonal shifts, with noticeable but moderate temperature variations. At night, minimum temperatures range from 20°C (68°F) in January to 11°C (52°F) in July.

The chart below illustrates the average maximum day and minimum night temperatures in Sydney by month:

Daily lows are most common between 4 AM and 6 AM. By 3 PM temperatures reach their daily high, driven by peak solar heating. January, the warmest month of the year, receives 233 hours of sunshine.

The chart below shows the average temperature throughout the year:

Sydney's average annual maximum temperature is 22°C (72°F). To put that in context, here's how it compares to a few well-known destinations:

Rome, Italy averages 20°C (68°F) annually, with reliably warm summers and comfortable winters.

Glasgow, Scotland averages 13°C (55°F) a year, mild but often grey, with cold winters and rarely hot summers.

Chicago, USA averages 15°C (59°F) annually, known for extreme seasonal swings, from bitterly cold winters to warm summers.

Tokyo, Japan averages 21°C (70°F) a year, with hot summers, cool winters, and a well-defined cherry blossom spring.

Temperature alone doesn't tell the whole story, humidity plays a big role in how warm or cold it actually feels. High humidity in summer makes the heat feel more intense, particularly once temperatures climb above 25°C. In winter, the same humidity can make cold air feel sharper than the thermometer suggests.

In Sydney, July is the coolest month, with average highs of 18°C (64°F) and humidity around 52%, considered moderate. In January, the warmest month, temperatures average 26°C (79°F) with 61% humidity, conditions that feel high. For a full picture, see our humidity page.

Climate temperature data is typically calculated as a 30-year average. This smooths out year-to-year variability and gives a more reliable picture of what a place is actually like, rather than what happened in any single unusual year.

The readings come from a range of sources, land-based weather stations, ocean buoys, ships, and satellites. That data is collected by weather services around the world, then pooled, quality-checked, and averaged to produce the climate records you see here.

For cities and regions with significant elevation, altitude is one of the biggest factors shaping local temperatures. As a rule of thumb, temperatures fall by around 6°C for every 1,000 metres gained, so a city at 2,000 metres will typically be around 12°C cooler than a city at sea level in the same region. Higher ground also tends to see more dramatic day-to-night temperature swings, since thinner air loses heat faster after sunset.

For more on Sydney's weather, including monthly rainfall, sunshine hours, and humidity, visit our Sydney climate page.