Australian High

Australian High
Australian High
	The high featuring an anticlockwise rotation around an oval area of clear skies.
Area of occurrence	Great Australian Bight, Western Australia and Southern Australia (summer); Central, eastern, and northern Australia (winter);
Season	All-year round
Effect	Drought in the west and south (summer); Drier conditions, and at times drought, in the centre, north and east (winter);

The Australian High, also known as the Australian subtropical ridge, is a large, semi-permanent high pressure area or subtropical anticyclone that seasonally vacillates between the Great Australian Bight in the south to the Northern Territory in the north. It is generally located between 25 and 40 degrees of south latitude, depending on the season.

In summer, it typically sits over southern Australia, where it generally provides dry weather in the proximate region. In winter it normally moves north, therefore permitting cold fronts and low pressure systems to relocate up from the Great Australian Bight and bring rainfall to most parts of southern Australia. The high is part of the subtropical ridge system and it is the reason why a large part of Australia is arid to semi-arid.

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