Weather in Alice Springs in November

A hard month. November asks something of you. Go in knowing what. Daytime highs average 36 °C and the afternoon is not negotiable — outdoor plans move to early morning or evening.

November ranks 9 of 12 in Alice Springs: past the worst of the year but short of August, which is the month to book if the dates are open.

Rain falls on only 5 days, so an itinerary with no wet-weather fallback is a reasonable risk. Pack for heat management rather than style: shade, water, and a schedule that gives up on the middle of the day.

What the averages hide

Averages flatten a month, and this one hides a few things: 20 days of the month clear 35 °C — that is not a heatwave, it is the month; the day swings 16 °C from low to high, which means one bag has to cover both. Across the twenty years measured, the hottest November day reached 44 °C and the coldest night fell to 6.5 °C, and the wettest single day dropped 39 mm — roughly 115% of the month's rain in one day.

This is the volatile part. November rainfall has ranged from 0 mm to 144 mm across the twenty years measured — a 144 mm spread around an average of 34 mm. The average is real but almost no individual November looks like it, so treat the figure as the middle of a wide range rather than a forecast.

Wind is light at 12.5 km/h, so the temperature on the page is close to the temperature on your skin, and the air is dry at 29% humidity, which makes the heat far more bearable than the same figure somewhere humid — and dehydrates you faster than you expect.

How November sits in the year

Temperatures hold steady either side: 33.9 °C in October, 36 here, 36.9 in December. Nothing about the timing within the month matters much.

Daylight in November

November is at or near the longest days of Alice Springs's year: 13.2 hours of daylight, gaining 0.5 hours across the month. Evenings are the real gain — dinner outdoors still happens in full light.

An inland climate

With no coast nearby, the year swings a fair way — 31.7 °C between the warmest afternoons and the coldest nights, wider than any coastal city at this latitude would manage. Within November itself the daily swing is 16 °C, so mornings and afternoons need different clothes.

How busy it gets

Quiet. Few other visitors, cheaper rooms, and a real chance some seasonal operators are shut.

Crowd levels are estimated from climate desirability and school-holiday calendars, not from visitor numbers.

November in Alice Springs versus nearby

If Alice Springs is one option among several, the nearby comparison is worth making. Mount Isa is the weaker option in November — 2 °C warmer, 2 days more rain. Whyalla is a better bet in November — 8.5 °C cooler, 1 day less rain.

So: November is a compromise. August is 50 points better and is what Alice Springs is actually like at its best — worth moving the trip for if that is possible, and worth adjusting expectations for if it is not.

Every month in Alice Springs

See all twelve months in Alice Springs, or where else to go in November.