What will the weather be like at the 2023 World Cup in New Zealand and Australia?
Australia and New Zealand will co-host the2023 World Cup, making it the first women's tournament hosted by two countries and the first held in the Southern Hemisphere.
The United States will play all of its first-round games in New Zealand. Knockout round and beyond, some of its games will be played in Australia.
While a specific weather forecast won’t be possible until a few days before the games, here’s a look at the typical weather in Australia and New Zealand in July and August.
Yes, July and August are cold in the Southern Hemisphere
First, keep in mind that while we’ll be sweltering in the U.S. during the World Cup, it’ll be cool and brisk Down Under in Australia and New Zealand.
It’ll be the middle of winter in the Southern Hemisphere, equivalent to January and February here. But intense cold and heavy snow are rare across the island nation of New Zealand, thanks to the moderating effects of the Pacific Ocean.
The two cities where the U.S. might play in Australia — Sydney and Melbourne — winters are usually similarly mild.
Australia weather
In the part of Australia where the USWNT will play, if the team makes it to the knockout rounds, “winters are reliably cool but never frigid,” according to “The Rough Guide to Weather,” written by Robert Henson. “It has yet to reach freezing in central Sydney (although snow fell in 1836), and near Melbourne, frost only rarely extends from the hills into town.
“Although its cloudier and cooler than Sydney in the winter, Melbourne only gets half as much rain in a typical year. Winters tend to be chilly and drizzly, with more wet days but lighter rain than Sydney.”
In a long-range climate forecast, Australian Bureau of Meteorology spokeswoman Mariah Edgoose told USA TODAY Sports most of Australia can expect a winter that’s both drier and warmer than average.
The USWNT could play in either Sydney or Melbourne in the Round of 16. The final is scheduled for Aug. 20 in Sydney.
New Zealand weather
The USWNT will play its first game against Vietnam on July 21 and its third game against Portugal on July 31 in Auckland. (The team’s base camp will also be there.) The city’s “subtropical climate is characterized by mild temperatures, even in winter, and showery weather,” New Zealand MetService meteorologist Thapi Makgabutlane told USA TODAY. “Locals there know all too well about experiencing ‘four seasons in one day,’ which speaks of the changeable nature of the weather there.”
According to “The Rough Guide to Weather,” “Auckland’s winters are much like San Francisco’s, with dependably cool temperatures but more frequent rain — almost two out of every three days.”
In addition, being so far north, Auckland is one of the warmer places, on average, year-round in New Zealand.
The USWNT will play its second game against the Netherlands July 26 in Wellington. “At a latitude of roughly 41°S, Wellington sits right in the mid-latitudes of the Southern Hemisphere and is the southernmost capital city in the world,” the MetService’s Makgabutlane said.
This geographical position in the so-called “roaring forties” puts the city in the path of strong westerly winds, according to Makgabutlane. Coupled with the local topography, as well as the Cook Strait, which forces winds to funnel through the gap between the North and South Islands, it’s no wonder locals refer to their city as “Windy Welly.”
Thus, winds might be the main weather factor for the USWNT for its game(s) in Wellington.
Makgabutlane said winds tend to be strongest during spring, but winter winds can pack a punch, too, brought in by mid-latitude fronts passing through from the Tasman Sea to the West. Those fronts also bring rain with them, and although rainfall is a feature year-round, June to September tend to be the months with the most frequent rainfall.
Wellington winter weather is rather benign, overall: “Although winter is rather gray, chilly and windy, frosts are rare” in Wellington, according to “The Rough Guide.”
Typical July and August temperatures in Sydney:
Average high temperature in July: 64 degrees Fahrenheit
Average low temperature in July: 48
Average high temperature in August: 67
Average low temperature in August: 50
Typical July and August temperatures in Melbourne:
Average high temperature in July: 58 degrees Fahrenheit
Average low temperature in July: 46
Average high temperature in August: 61
Average low temperature in August: 46
Typical July and August temperatures in Wellington, New Zealand:
Average high temperature in July: 53 degrees Fahrenheit
Average low temperature in July: 43
Average high temperature in August: 54
Average low temperature in August: 44
Typical July and August temperatures in Auckland:
Average high temperature in July: 58 degrees Fahrenheit
Average low temperature in July: 45
Average high temperature in August: 59
Average low temperature in August: 46
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Weather at the 2023 women's World Cup in New Zealand and Australia
