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Built 2026-10-19 (19 October 2026)

Heat wave in Australia, 12 to 19 July 2021

Heat wave in Australia, 12 to 19 July 2021: 108 records at 85 stations, peak on 16 July 2021. Closed.

Data as of . Last revised (2026-10-17).

Key Facts

  • Heat wave in Australia, 12 to 19 July 2021 set or tied 108 station records at 85 stations.
  • It ran from 12 July 2021 to 19 July 2021 (8 days) and its peak day was 16 July 2021.
  • Status: closed.
  • Townsville Aero set a daily record high maximum temperature of 30.4 C (86.7 F) on 17 July 2021.
  • The busiest day was 16 July 2021 with 47 records.
  • The oldest broken record in the ranked list had stood for 80 years.

Footprint

12 to 19 July 2021
Footprint of Heat wave in Australia, 12 to 19 July 2021 The area covered by Heat wave in Australia, 12 to 19 July 2021 is outlined, with 19 of the stations that set records marked, coloured by record type.
The area covered by Heat wave in Australia, 12 to 19 July 2021 is outlined, with 19 of the stations that set records marked, coloured by record type. Made with Natural Earth.
Footprint of Heat wave in Australia, 12 to 19 July 2021: stations that set records in the event
StationTypeValueDate
Townsville AeroRecord high maximum temperature30.4 C (86.7 F)2021-07-17
Mackay AeroRecord high maximum temperature28.3 C (82.9 F)2021-07-17
Rockhampton AeroRecord high maximum temperature30.3 C (86.5 F)2021-07-16
Archerfield AirportRecord high maximum temperature26.5 C (79.7 F)2021-07-16
Walkamin Research StationRecord high maximum temperature30.6 C (87.1 F)2021-07-17
Cairns AeroRecord high maximum temperature29.4 C (84.9 F)2021-07-17
KyancuttaRecord high minimum temperature11.4 C (52.5 F)2021-07-14
Ceduna AMORecord high minimum temperature11.0 C (51.8 F)2021-07-14
Brisbane AeroRecord high maximum temperature27.3 C (81.1 F)2021-07-16
Lady Elliot IslandRecord high minimum temperature21.7 C (71.1 F)2021-07-16
SuratRecord high minimum temperature16.1 C (61.0 F)2021-07-16
Laverton RaafRecord high minimum temperature10.6 C (51.1 F)2021-07-16
Pindari DamRecord high minimum temperature14.5 C (58.1 F)2021-07-15
Taroom Post OfficeRecord high minimum temperature17.9 C (64.2 F)2021-07-16
Mackay M.ORecord high maximum temperature27.2 C (81.0 F)2021-07-17
Moruya Heads Pilot StationRecord high minimum temperature11.5 C (52.7 F)2021-07-17
PalmervilleRecord high minimum temperature20.7 C (69.3 F)2021-07-18
Balranald (Rsl)Record high minimum temperature10.2 C (50.4 F)2021-07-15
Lockhart River AirportRecord high maximum temperature29.5 C (85.1 F)2021-07-18

Records per Day

Peak day 47
Records per day during Heat wave in Australia, 12 to 19 July 2021 Records set or tied each day from 12 July 2021 to 19 July 2021. The most in one day was 47 on 16 July 2021. 0 13 25 38 50 07-1207-1307-1407-1507-1607-1707-1807-19
Records set or tied each day from 12 July 2021 to 19 July 2021. The most in one day was 47 on 16 July 2021.
Records per day during Heat wave in Australia, 12 to 19 July 2021
DateRecords
2021-07-122
2021-07-134
2021-07-1412
2021-07-1524
2021-07-1647
2021-07-1713
2021-07-185
2021-07-191

Top Records by Margin

Margin over the record replaced
Top records of Heat wave in Australia, 12 to 19 July 2021 ranked by margin
Walkamin Research Station, 07-174.1 C (7.4 F)
Surat, 07-163.3 C (5.9 F)
Taroom Post Office, 07-162.9 C (5.2 F)
Mackay Aero, 07-172.7 C (4.9 F)
Brisbane Aero, 07-162.6 C (4.7 F)
Mackay Aero, 07-162.5 C (4.5 F)
Palmerville, 07-182.2 C (4.0 F)
Townsville Aero, 07-172.0 C (3.6 F)
Rockhampton Aero, 07-162.0 C (3.6 F)
Balranald (Rsl), 07-151.9 C (3.4 F)
Archerfield Airport, 07-161.5 C (2.7 F)
Lady Elliot Island, 07-161.1 C (2.0 F)
Moruya Heads Pilot Station, 07-170.9 C (1.6 F)
Mackay M.O, 07-170.8 C (1.4 F)
Cairns Aero, 07-170.7 C (1.3 F)

Margin is how far the new value is beyond the record it replaced. Ties are not shown.

Margin Against Age of the Broken Record

Margin against age of the broken record in Heat wave in Australia, 12 to 19 July 2021 108 records plotted by how far they beat the old record (across) and how many years the old record had stood (up). Long standing records beaten by a wide margin sit in the top right. 0 20 40 60 80 0.01.32.53.85.0 Margin (C) Years the old record stood
108 records plotted by how far they beat the old record (across) and how many years the old record had stood (up). Long standing records beaten by a wide margin sit in the top right.
Margin against age of the broken record in Heat wave in Australia, 12 to 19 July 2021
Margin (C)Years the old record stood
2.070
2.763
2.075
1.580
4.135
0.770
0.270
0.370
2.634
1.163
3.350
0.172
2.235
0.856
2.950
0.140
0.963
0.655
2.522
1.950
1.350
2.552
2.452
1.050
0.950
0.355
1.050
1.750
0.322
0.748
1.926
1.052
0.452
0.752
0.548
0.147
0.547
0.743
0.823
1.926
1.034
2.635
0.252
0.647
1.522
0.934
0.831
3.315
1.035
1.435
0.634
2.912
0.634
1.822
0.226
1.515
0.50
0.428
0.720
0.131
0.435
1.622
0.731
0.632
0.522
0.324
1.012
0.132
2.97
0.918
1.018
0.523
0.615
0.912
1.322
0.228
0.815
0.315
0.98
0.77
0.423
0.912
1.112
1.015
0.811
0.67
0.211
0.212
1.07
0.615
0.78
0.68
1.08
0.322
0.88
0.68
0.78
0.43
0.48
0.211
0.73
0.58
0.68
0.48
0.73
0.33
0.17
0.62

Compared With Other Events

Station records per event
Station records in Heat wave in Australia, 12 to 19 July 2021 compared with similar events
Heat wave in United States and Mexico, 16 January to 14 February 20249,869 records
Heat wave in United States, 28 January to 24 February 20266,528 records
Heat wave in United States and Mexico, 24 May to 19 June 20205,047 records
Heat wave in United States and Mexico, 26 March to 17 April 20213,669 records
Heat wave in Germany and 49 other countries, 18 December 2021 to 15 January 20223,626 records
Heat wave in Australia, 12 to 19 July 2021 (this event)108 records

Every Record Set

20 of 108
Every record set or tied during Heat wave in Australia, 12 to 19 July 2021, in date order
DateStationRecordValueMarginYears stoodSignificance
2021-07-14KyancuttaRecord high minimum temperature11.4 C (52.5 F)0.2 C (0.4 F)7030 of 100 (Routine)
2021-07-14Ceduna AMORecord high minimum temperature11.0 C (51.8 F)0.3 C (0.5 F)7029 of 100 (Routine)
2021-07-15Pindari DamRecord high minimum temperature14.5 C (58.1 F)0.1 C (0.2 F)4027 of 100 (Routine)
2021-07-15Balranald (Rsl)Record high minimum temperature10.2 C (50.4 F)1.9 C (3.4 F)5026 of 100 (Routine)
2021-07-16Rockhampton AeroRecord high maximum temperature30.3 C (86.5 F)2.0 C (3.6 F)7538 of 100 (Notable)
2021-07-16Archerfield AirportRecord high maximum temperature26.5 C (79.7 F)1.5 C (2.7 F)8038 of 100 (Notable)
2021-07-16Brisbane AeroRecord high maximum temperature27.3 C (81.1 F)2.6 C (4.7 F)3429 of 100 (Routine)
2021-07-16Lady Elliot IslandRecord high minimum temperature21.7 C (71.1 F)1.1 C (2.0 F)6328 of 100 (Routine)
2021-07-16SuratRecord high minimum temperature16.1 C (61.0 F)3.3 C (5.9 F)5028 of 100 (Routine)
2021-07-16Laverton RaafRecord high minimum temperature10.6 C (51.1 F)0.1 C (0.2 F)7228 of 100 (Routine)
2021-07-16Taroom Post OfficeRecord high minimum temperature17.9 C (64.2 F)2.9 C (5.2 F)5027 of 100 (Routine)
2021-07-16Mackay AeroRecord high maximum temperature28.5 C (83.3 F)2.5 C (4.5 F)2226 of 100 (Routine)
2021-07-17Townsville AeroRecord high maximum temperature30.4 C (86.7 F)2.0 C (3.6 F)7040 of 100 (Notable)
2021-07-17Mackay AeroRecord high maximum temperature28.3 C (82.9 F)2.7 C (4.9 F)6339 of 100 (Notable)
2021-07-17Walkamin Research StationRecord high maximum temperature30.6 C (87.1 F)4.1 C (7.4 F)3535 of 100 (Notable)
2021-07-17Cairns AeroRecord high maximum temperature29.4 C (84.9 F)0.7 C (1.3 F)7033 of 100 (Routine)
2021-07-17Mackay M.ORecord high maximum temperature27.2 C (81.0 F)0.8 C (1.4 F)5627 of 100 (Routine)
2021-07-17Moruya Heads Pilot StationRecord high minimum temperature11.5 C (52.7 F)0.9 C (1.6 F)6327 of 100 (Routine)
2021-07-18PalmervilleRecord high minimum temperature20.7 C (69.3 F)2.2 C (4.0 F)3527 of 100 (Routine)
2021-07-18Lockhart River AirportRecord high maximum temperature29.5 C (85.1 F)0.6 C (1.1 F)5526 of 100 (Routine)

The daily ledgers keep a limited number of records per day, so this list has 20 of the 108 records the event counts. The counts above use the full total.

Download the Data

Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Climatology Network Daily (GHCN-Daily). Records are computed by World Extreme Weather Monitor and are not official NOAA products. (US Government open data (NOAA NCEI)) Data as of 2026-10-17. Events are found by this site from station records and are not official designations. Records are provisional until reprocessed.