Weipa is located on the west coast of Cape York Peninsula, about 200 kilometres from the tip of Australia and just less than 200 kilometres from the east coast. It is approximately 804 road kilometres and 580 air kilometres from Cairns. The tropical/monsoonal climate gives hot, wet summers and mild dry winters. The average rainfall is 2051 mm, with 97% of the rainfall occurring between November and April. The seasons can be divided into just two, the 'wet season', between November and April and the 'dry season', between May and October. Minimum and maximum temperatures range, on average, from 18-30 degrees Celsius in July and 24-33 degrees Celsius in December. Winds blow predominantly from the east and south during the dry season and from the west and north during the wet season. Weipa is situated within Australia's cyclone belt, but fortunately has not experienced a major cyclone since meteorological records were first kept in 1911. |