Brisbane City Council describes the city’s climate as humid subtropical, with warm-to-hot, humid summers and dry, mostly mild winters. This guide follows what Council’s own documents say about each part of the year. It gives no monthly temperature or rainfall tables and no forecasts.
Summer: storms, heavy rain and heat
Council’s disaster plan says severe storms with hail, damaging winds and heavy rainfall are common during the summer months. The same plan says the heaviest rain falls in summer, and that the most extreme rainfall events are associated with summer storms. At 9 November 2026, Council’s Check your risk page says the storm season typically runs from October to March.
Heat is part of the picture too. Council says extreme heat in Brisbane is most likely between November and March, though it can occur at any time. It defines a heatwave as maximum and minimum temperatures that are unusually hot over three or more days at a given location. Council calls heatwaves the deadliest of Brisbane’s natural hazards. Its short list of heat advice is to drink water often, keep out of the heat as much as possible, stay somewhere cool and never leave children, older people or pets in cars.
Autumn
This guide has no autumn-specific temperature or rainfall figures. Two season dates in Council’s documents end in March: the storm season on the Check your risk page, and the period in which the disaster plan says thunderstorms are common, September to March. For the whole east coast, the plan says east coast lows, which are intense low-pressure systems, can occur at any time of the year but are more common during autumn and winter, with a maximum frequency in June.
Council’s plan says most planned burns in Brisbane take place between February and August. Council explains that these burns reduce grasses, leaf litter and twigs that can fuel fires.
Winter: dry and mild
Council says to expect dry and mild conditions in winter. The disaster plan notes that Australia’s east coast gets two king tides each year, one in winter and one in summer. Council describes high-tide flooding as the result of storm surges or full-moon and new-moon high tides, affecting low-lying areas and streets close to tidal waterways and foreshores.
Spring: storms and bushfire windows
Council says Brisbane can experience intense storms in spring as well as in the hot, humid summer months. Council’s own documents give different bushfire season windows. At 9 November 2026, the Check your risk page says South East Queensland’s bushfire season typically runs from September to December, and adds that this can vary with long-term climate conditions and other weather events. The disaster plan says the season traditionally runs from August to December. The same plan gives Brisbane’s peak bushfire risk as spring to mid-summer, September to January.
The plan also says the severity of a bushfire season can depend on how dry the winter and spring have been. You do not need to live beside bushland to be affected, because Council says smoke, embers and burning materials can reach urban areas.
Cyclones and the types of flooding
Brisbane lies in the tropical cyclone risk area, but the disaster plan says cyclones have affected the city only rarely. Council describes several types of flooding:
- Creek flooding comes from heavy rain over or near a creek catchment.
- River flooding comes from prolonged rain over the river catchment, and the water can rise very slowly.
- Overland flow flooding happens when excess rainwater flows over land, usually in heavy rain during storm season.
- Flash flooding is fast-moving, with rapidly rising water that can develop within minutes or hours.
Staying informed through the year
Council runs a free Brisbane Severe Weather Alert Service, which covers severe thunderstorms, destructive winds, cyclones, flooding and planned burns. Its Flood Awareness Map does not show real-time flooding or current flood conditions. For current disruptions, Council’s emergency dashboard lets you find road closures, power outages and service disruptions near you. Council also advises checking your risk, packing an emergency kit and having an emergency plan in place.
Frequently asked questions
When is Brisbane’s storm season?
Council’s Check your risk page says it typically runs from October to March, while the disaster plan says thunderstorms are common from September to March.
What is Brisbane’s winter like?
Council says to expect dry and mild conditions.
When is bushfire season in South East Queensland?
Council’s web page says typically September to December; its disaster plan says traditionally August to December.
When is extreme heat most likely in Brisbane?
Council says between November and March, though it can occur at any time.
