Tuesday, 9 January 2018 - Annual Climate Summary for New South Wales - Product code IDCKGC55R0

New South Wales in 2017: warmest on record

The year 2017 was the warmest on record for New South Wales for both mean and daytime temperatures. It was also the State's driest year since 2006. Following the warmest summer on record for the State, heavy rain in March across the east then made way for a very dry winter and start to spring. Winter overnight temperatures were the lowest since 1997, but daytime temperatures remained above average for most of the year, and were the warmest on record overall.

Rainfall below average for much of the State

• It was the driest year for New South Wales since 2006, with the statewide average rainfall coming in at 18% below average
• Rainfall was below average across much of the State, with above average annual totals only recorded in the far northeast
• A number of stations had their wettest day on record in March when the remnants of tropical cyclone Debbie tracked down the east coast
• October and December were the only other months with above average rainfall for the State as a whole: October was wetter than average in the north, while above average totals in December were recorded across the southwest
• The State had its driest September since comparable records began in 1900, and the second-driest June to September period

Record warm days but cold winter nights

• The mean temperature for New South Wales was the warmest on record, 1.42° C above the 1961–1990 average and just ahead of the previous record set in 2014
• The State's mean maximum temperature was also the warmest on record, 1.87° C above average
• Maximum temperatures were in the top 10% of years for most of the State, and the warmest on record in parts of the Hunter, Metropolitan, Central Tablelands, and Upper Western districts
• The year began with New South Wales' warmest summer on record, followed by the State's second-warmest March
• The State experienced several bouts of exceptional warmth during the year, including heatwaves in January, February and December, and two warm spells in September that brought record heat across the State
• Many stations set new records for their warmest days and nights during the summer heat events
• In contrast, clear nights meant cooler than average minimum temperatures for much of the State during winter: the New South Wales mean minimum temperature for winter was the lowest since 1997
• Other months remained warm overnight: March had its warmest mean minimum temperature for the State, and October and December their second-warmest
• Despite the cooler than average winter, the State's mean minimum temperature for 2017 was the sixth-warmest on record, 0.97° C above average

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top

Maps
	Observed	Anomaly	Decile rank
Total rainfall
Mean daily maximum temperatures
Mean daily minimum temperatures

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Monthly maps
	Rainfall rank	Maximum temperature rank	Minimum temperature rank
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December

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* note: there are gaps in the historical record at this site, so it is possible a higher value has gone unreported

* note: there are gaps in the historical record at this site, so it is possible a lower value has gone unreported

* note: there are gaps in the historical record at this site, so it is possible a higher value has gone unreported

* note: there are gaps in the historical record at this site, so it is possible a higher value has gone unreported

* note: there are gaps in the historical record at this site, so it is possible a higher value has gone unreported

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top