Weather in Australia Trivia Quiz

Answer: Low rainfall leading to drought

The El Nino, and its opposite number, La Nina, occur as a result of temperature changes in the waters of the southern Pacific Ocean. Usually, the western Pacific waters are warmer that the east, meaning that rainfall is more likely in Australia. However, if the temperature differential between east and west drops, it increases the likelihood of heavy rain in South America, and much less rain in the east and central areas of Australia.

The La Nina reverses the effect, and will bring rain (sometimes too much rain), to eastern Australia and will cause droughts in countries like Chile and Argentina.

Answer: December 1

June 22 (or 21, depending on year) is Midsummer Day, a traditional religious holiday in many European countries, but it is the middle of winter in Australia.

Australian seasons are not calculated from solstices or equinoxes- they start on the first day of December (summer), March (autumn), June (winter) and September (spring).

Answer: A wind

The Doctor is a summer breeze that originates in the Indian Ocean, south-west of Perth. It generally hits land at about 3-4pm, and cools the city by several degrees.

Answer: Hobart and Canberra

Mt Wellington is very close to the Tasmanian capital, but the weather can be vastly different. Temperatures between The Pinnacle (the top of the mountain) and the city can vary by as much as 20C, and light snow is common, even in summer. Brindabella National Park is just west of Canberra, the national capital, and it snows there regularly, although not very heavily.

The major snowfields are located in the Snowy Mountains (where else?), on the New South Wales/Victoria border, but they are located quite a large distance from the nearest capital.

Answer: Darwin, Northern Territory

Maximum temperatures in Darwin range between 30C and 33C, and even the minimum temperature rarely drops below 20C. The Wet runs from October to March, and is when the city receives the majority of its annual rainfall. Oppressive humidity, thunderstorms and cyclones occur frequently in this period.

Hobart is the most southerly capital and the coldest, with summer temperatures seldom getting above the mid-20s. Perth and Adelaide are similar in climate, with average maximums ranging from 20 to 30, depending on season.

Answer: Underground artesian water

The Great Artesian Basin is huge, and lies beneath Queensland, northern New South Wales and northern South Australia. Water is tapped by hundreds of bores and is stored in tanks or dams. The water comes out of the ground very hot, in some cases close to boiling point.

The town of Moree, in northern New South Wales, has taken advantage of this, by setting up hot spring baths, supposedly with therapeutic properties.

Answer: Cairns, Queensland

Cairns gets about 2,000mm per year, mainly in the summer. Dubbo averages about a quarter of that.

Coober Pedy is the opal mining capital and is known more for extreme temperatures than rainfall. Most of the locals live underground, to escape the heat; the annual rainfall is a measly 150mm. Kalgoorlie is a gold-mining city on the edge of the Great Victorian Desert, and it gets about 250mm of rain per year.

Answer: The river had too much water in it

The Todd River runs through the town, but is usually just a dry bed. The regatta is 'sailed' in open bottom boats, with the 'sailors' running along with the boats around their waists. Add copious amounts of alcohol, some flour bombs and the Aussie sense of humour, and you just know that the day will be a roaring success. Alice Springs is more than 1000km from the nearest ocean, so it is all quite a silly sight.

It snowed in the Alice once, amazingly enough, back in 1836. Oh, and it is much too dry for crocodiles to live in the area, but you might find a frill-necked lizard or bearded dragon. Don't worry, as they are only small and do not eat tourists.

Answer: A small inland tornado

Willy-willys are of short duration and size and are not regarded as dangerous. They generally kick up a lot of dust and other loose matter and dissipate within a couple of minutes.

Answer: Most consecutive days over 100F

From October 1923 to April 1924, a total of 160 days, the mercury stayed above 100F (37.8C). In those days, Australia used the Fahrenheit scale. Marble Bar is an old mining town, and is now home to about 200 very hardy souls.

Cyclones have occurred in the town, but most fizzle out before they get there, as the coast is about 150 kms away. Space travel was non-existent in the 1920s- it would be another 50 years before Skylab was launched.