Nature and science
The Norfolk Island group provides an important link between tropical and temperate oceanic island environments. Their remote location, coupled with colonisation by plants and animals dispersed over vast distances of ocean, means that they are important for their value as habitats for endemic species, habitats and breeding areas for species with limited distribution and migratory species including large colonies of breeding seabirds, and for their unique vegetation.
Norfolk and Phillip Islands are almost completely volcanic in origin, arising from the Pacific Ocean roughly 2.5 million years ago as masses of hot basalt. They form the highest point of the submerged Norfolk Ridge which stretches from New Zealand to New Caledonia. The Islands feature a range of dramatic landscapes, including the subtropical and viney hardwood forests of the park and Botanic Garden, the green rolling plains of the Kingston settlement, spectacular coastal cliffs and skylines dominated by majestic Norfolk Island pines.
Climate
Norfolk Island is characterised by a pleasant maritime climate. Summer temperatures range from about 22°C in the morning to 26°C in the afternoon and in winter from about 13°C to 18°C. Rainfall is greatest during the four months from May to August, with monthly long-term means of about 140 to 159 mm. Minimum monthly rainfall, averaging 70 to 90 mm occurs from November to January. The annual mean rainfall is 1328 mm.
Thunderstorms are most prevalent during the winter months and early spring. Hail occasionally accompanies thunderstorms in winter. Cyclones are most frequent in the early months of the year. Mid latitude cyclones move in from the Australian continent or southwest Tasman Sea and effect the island mostly from February to August.
Information on what the weather is currently like on Norfolk Island is available on the Bureau of Meteorology website.
