Bellingen Climate

Sun and Cloud in Bellingen

Bellingen is blessed with an average of over 16 sunny days per month in mid winter and drops down to a low of just over 6 in February. The sun still manages to make an appearance on most days however - even in February! The number of rainy days closely follows the number of cloudy days. One conclusion that can be reached from this is that there are very few cloudy but dry days in Bellingen - it is either raining or sunny.

Average Rainfall in Bellingen

Rainfall in Bellingen averages 1517mm per year. The rain falls mainly in the summer and autumn in the form of showers and thunderstorms moving off the plateau to the west and south west. The heaviest rain however occurs when a low pressure area forms off the east coast or moves down from the north / northwest. This situation can bring periods of extremely heavy rain that can cause rapid flooding of the Bellinger Valley as water pours down the valleys from the mountains behind the town. Dorrigo, on the plateau behind Bellingen, holds the NSW record for the greatest fall in a 24 hour period - approximately 800mm.

As with most of Australia however Bellingen is a town of weather extremes and the difference between the maximum recorded in any month (up to 900mm+) and the lowest ever recorded for the same period (around 0mm for many months of the year) shows how variable the climate can be. In the wettest period daily rainfall has reached up to approx. 350mm - but at other times many weeks can pass without a drop being recorded.

Average Temperatures in Bellingen

The average temperature in Bellingen varies from approximately 30 degrees celcius in Summer to around 20 degrees in Winter. This is regarded by many as close to an ideal climate. Bellingen does suffer from some extremes however with several days each year registering over 40 degrees and several days of frost each each winter.

Summer days can get oppressive with the average dewpoint in January over 20 degrees celcius. This is compensated for in winter when the average dewpoint falls into single figures.