Tuesday, 8 February 2022 - Annual Climate Summary for Greater Sydney - Product code IDCKGC55L0
Greater Sydney in 2021: wet and relatively cool
Greater Sydney in 2021 was wetter than usual, with totals around 10 to 60% above the average over recent decades. Very heavy rain in March resulted in significant flooding on the Hawkesbury River. Daytime and night-time temperatures were generally half to one degree below average.
Wetter than usual
- Greater Sydney in 2021 was wetter than usual, with annual totals around 10 to 60% percent above the average over recent decades.
- A few sites which have 25 years or less of data, had their highest total rainfall on record and a few other sites had their highest for at least 20 years.
- It was very wet in March, with many sites having their wettest March on record.
- The heaviest falls were from 19 to 23 March, resulting in significant flooding along the Hawkesbury River.
- After a dry start to winter August was wetter than average, with two-day totals of 50 to 100 mm on the 24th and 25th from a coastal low.
- It was very wet in November, with totals two to three times the monthly average from the passage of several low pressure troughs.
Relatively cool
- Greater Sydney was relatively cool in 2021, with daytime and night-time temperatures generally around 0.5 to 1.0 °C below the average over recent decades.
- Mangrove Mountain and Penrith Lakes, with 27 and 26 years of data respectively, had their lowest mean daily minimum temperature on record.
- January was relatively cool overall, although Australia Day (26 January) was the hottest day of the year.
- A complex low pressure system over New South Wales on 9 and 10 June brought very cold air. Snow was reported near Sydney in the Blue Mountains and at Oberon, and some sites had their coldest day on record on 10 June.
- August and September had above average mean maximum temperatures.
- It was the coolest November across Greater Sydney in over 20 years.
Sydney (Observatory Hill)
- Total rainfall for Sydney (Observatory Hill) was 1290.2 mm, which is 106% of the average over all years at the former Observatory Hill site, or 139% of the average over recent decades.
- The mean daily maximum temperature for Sydney (Observatory Hill) was 23.2 °C, which is 1.4 °C above the average over all years at the former Observatory Hill site, or 0.4 °C above the average over recent decades.
- The warmest day was 37.1 °C on 26 January, and the coolest day was on 10 June when the temperature reached 10.3 °C.
- The five consecutive days over 30 °C from 22 to 26 January was only the ninth such instance since records began, but the third year in a row that this has occurred.
- The maximum of 10.3 °C on 10 June made it the second-coldest June day in the combined record at Observatory Hill, behind 9.7 °C on 13 June 1899.
- The mean daily minimum temperature for Sydney (Observatory Hill) was 14.1 °C, which is 0.3 °C above the average over all years at the former Observatory Hill site, or 0.6 °C below the average over recent decades.
- The coldest morning was 5.2 °C on 22 July, and the warmest morning was on 24 January when the minimum temperature was 22.2 °C.
Further information
- Media
- media@bom.gov.au (03) 9669 4057
Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top
| Extremes in 2021 | |
|---|---|
| Hottest day | 41.6 °C at Sydney Airport AMO on 26 Jan |
| Warmest days on average | 24.1 °C at Penrith Lakes AWS |
| Coolest days on average | 16.4 °C at Mount Boyce AWS |
| Coldest day | 1.3 °C at Mount Boyce AWS on 10 Jun |
| Coldest night | -2.7 °C at Richmond RAAF on 30 Jul |
| Coolest nights on average | 7.6 °C at Mount Boyce AWS |
| Warmest nights on average | 15.4 °C at Sydney Harbour (Wedding Cake West) |
| Warmest night | 23.2 °C at Cooranbong (Lake Macquarie AWS) on 27 Jan |
| Warmest on average overall | 18.7 °C at Norah Head AWS |
| Coolest on average overall | 12.0 °C at Mount Boyce AWS |
| Wettest overall | 1838.8 mm at Katoomba (Farnells Rd) |
| Wettest day | 205.3 mm at Mt Irvine (Booralee) on 22 Mar |
| Strongest wind gust | 111 km/h at Wattamolla AWS on 19 Jun |
Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top
| Record highest annual total rainfall | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
New record (mm) |
Old record |
Years of record |
Annual average |
||
| Penrith Lakes AWS | 1180.8 | 1094.2 | in 2020 | 25 | 740.0 |
| Richmond RAAF | 1053.0 | 1051.2 | in 2007 | 25 | 741.1 |
| Badgerys Creek AWS | 1064.0 | 1041.8 | in 2007 | 24 | 675.0 |
| Blackheath (Wombat Street) | 1786.0 | 1762.0 | in 2020 | 20 | 1130.0 |
| Highest annual total rainfall for at least 20 years | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Observed (mm) |
Most recent higher |
Annual average |
|||
| Campbelltown (Kentlyn (Georges River Roa | 1134.0 | 1283.2 | in 1978* | 764.9 | |
| Richmond - UWS Hawkesbury | 1046.6 | 1426.6 | in 1990* | 798.9 | |
* note: there are gaps in the historical record at this site, so it is possible a higher value has gone unreported
| Record lowest daily maximum temperature | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
New record (°C) |
Old record |
Years of record |
Annual average |
|||
| Bankstown Airport AWS | 9.6 | on 10 Jun | = 9.6 | on 20 Jul 1983 | 54 | 23.4 |
| Camden Airport AWS | 8.4 | on 10 Jun | 9.6 | on 20 Jul 1983 | 48 | 23.8 |
| Mount Boyce AWS | 1.3 | on 10 Jun | 1.8 | on 31 Jul 1994 | 31 | 17.1 |
| Richmond RAAF | 8.3 | on 10 Jun | 9.5 | on 13 Jul 2011 | 29 | 24.3 |
| Badgerys Creek AWS | 8.5 | on 10 Jun | 10.5 | on 13 Jul 1997 | 27 | 24.0 |
| Canterbury Racecourse AWS | 10.2 | on 10 Jun | 11.3 | on 19 Aug 1996 | 27 | 23.1 |
| Penrith Lakes AWS | 8.3 | on 10 Jun | 11.2 | on 26 Jul 2009 | 27 | 24.8 |
| Horsley Park Equestrian Centre AWS | 8.9 | on 10 Jun | 10.9 | on 13 Jul 2011 | 25 | 23.8 |
| Record lowest annual mean daily minimum temperature | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
New record (°C) |
Old record |
Years of record |
Annual average |
||
| Mangrove Mountain AWS | 10.8 | 10.9 | in 2012 | 27 | 11.6 |
| Penrith Lakes AWS | 11.6 | = 11.6 | in 1996 | 26 | 12.4 |
| Lowest annual mean temperature for at least 20 years | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Observed (°C) |
Most recent lower |
Annual average |
|||
| Camden Airport AWS | 16.5 | 16.1 | in 1992* | 17.0 | |
* note: there are gaps in the historical record at this site, so it is possible a lower value has gone unreported
Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top
| Summary statistics for 2021 | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maximum temperatures (°C) |
Minimum temperatures (°C) |
Rainfall (millimetres) |
||||||||||
| Mean for 2021 |
Diff from average |
Highest for 2021 |
Mean for 2021 |
Diff from average |
Lowest for 2021 |
Total for 2021 |
Average annual total |
Rank of 2021 |
Fraction of annual average |
|||
| Badgerys Creek AWS | 23.3 | -0.7 | 40.6 | 26 Jan | 10.4 | -0.5 | -1.3 | 30 Jul | 1064.0 | 675.0 | highest | 158% |
| Bankstown Airport AWS | 23.3 | -0.1 | 40.5 | 26 Jan | 12.0 | -0.1 | 0.6 | 30 Jul | 944.8 | 868.0 | average | 109% |
| Camden Airport AWS | 23.1 | -0.7 | 39.9 | 24 Jan | 9.9 | -0.4 | -2.1 | 22 Jul | 1064.0 | 796.6 | high | 134% |
| Campbelltown (Mount Annan) | 40.0 | 24 Jan | 10.2 | -0.5 | -1.1 | 30 Jul | 1027.2 | 719.9 | v high | 143% | ||
| Canterbury Racecourse AWS | 22.5 | -0.6 | 39.5 | 26 Jan | 11.8 | -0.5 | 1.2 | 30 Jul | ||||
| Cooranbong (Lake Macquarie AWS) | 23.1 | -0.8 | 37.8 | 26 Jan | 10.9 | -0.5 | -1.8 | 30 Jul | 1343.6 | 1079.3 | high | 124% |
| Gosford AWS | 22.4 | 38.7 | 26 Jan | 12.6 | 0.8 | 30 Jul | 1428.6 | |||||
| Holsworthy Aerodrome AWS | 22.6 | 39.6 | 26 Jan | 11.4 | 0.3 | 30 Jul | 946.0 | |||||
| Holsworthy Defence AWS | 22.2 | 41.2 | 26 Jan | 11.1 | 0.7 | 10 Jun | 1180.0 | |||||
| Horsley Park Equestrian Centre AWS | 22.9 | -0.9 | 39.1 | 26 Jan | 11.5 | -0.6 | -0.2 | 22 Jul | 977.0 | 780.3 | high | 125% |
| Mangrove Mountain AWS | 22.0 | 0.0 | 37.3 | 26 Jan | 10.8 | -0.8 | -0.5 | 22 Jul | 1546.6 | 1127.9 | high | 137% |
| Mount Boyce AWS | 16.4 | -0.7 | 33.2 | 24 Jan | 7.6 | -0.5 | -1.6 | 6 Jul | 1557.0 | 1005.9 | v high | 155% |
| Norah Head AWS | 22.6 | +0.2 | 36.0 | 26 Jan | 14.9 | -0.3 | 6.0 | 11 Jun | 1392.2 | 1163.9 | high | 120% |
| Parramatta North (Masons Drive) | 23.0 | -0.4 | 40.0 | 26 Jan | 2.3 | 30 Jul | 1092.0 | 968.3 | high | 113% | ||
| Penrith Lakes AWS | 24.1 | -0.7 | 40.7 | 26 Jan | 11.6 | -0.8 | -0.6 | 22 Jul | 1180.8 | 740.0 | highest | 160% |
| Richmond RAAF | 23.5 | -0.8 | 39.8 | 26 Jan | 10.6 | -0.5 | -2.7 | 30 Jul | 1053.0 | 741.1 | highest | 142% |
| Sydney (Observatory Hill) | 23.2 | 37.1 | 26 Jan | 14.1 | 5.2 | 22 Jul | 1290.2 | |||||
| Sydney Airport AMO | 22.8 | +0.4 | 41.6 | 26 Jan | 14.2 | +0.6 | 4.6 | 11 Jun | 1196.6 | 1080.4 | high | 111% |
| Sydney Harbour (Wedding Cake West) | 20.9 | -0.4 | 34.4 | 19 Dec | 15.4 | -0.3 | 7.2 | 11 Jun | ||||
| Sydney Olympic Park AWS (Archery Centre) | 23.2 | -0.9 | 41.0 | 26 Jan | 12.5 | -0.5 | 1.8 | 30 Jul | 1026.8 | |||
| Terrey Hills AWS | 21.2 | -0.7 | 37.5 | 26 Jan | 12.7 | -0.6 | 2.9 | 30 Jul | 1372.0 | 1101.7 | high | 125% |
Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top
Notes
The Annual climate summary lists the main features of the weather in Greater Sydney using the most timely and accurate information available on the date of publication; it will generally not be updated. More extensive discussion of significant weather events, along with later information and data that has had greater opportunity for quality control, will be presented in the Monthly Weather Review.
This summary includes data from observing sites in or near the Greater Sydney “Greater Capital City Statistical Area” (GCCSA). The Australian Bureau of Statistics designed the GCCSAs to “include the population within the urban area of the city, as well as people who regularly socialise, shop or work within the city, and live in small towns and rural areas surrounding the city. It is important to note that GCCSAs do not define the built up edge of the city. They provide a stable definition for these cities and are designed for the output of a range of social and economic survey data.”
This statement has been prepared based on information available at 5 pm on Monday 7 February 2022. Some checks have been made on the data, but it is possible that results will change as new information becomes available.
In some situations, some or all of the rainfall is in the form of hail or snow. In these cases the totals given are for the water equivalent: the depth of liquid water that results from melting any frozen precipitation. There can be significant 'undercatch' of snow in strong winds, meaning the true precipitation can be higher than that reported.
Averages for individual sites are long-term means based on
observations from all available years of record, which vary widely from
site to site.
They are not shown for sites with less than 10 years of record, as they
cannot then be calculated reliably.
The median
is sometimes more representative than the
mean
of long-term average rain.
The Rank indicates how rainfall this time compares with the
climate record for the site,
based on the decile
ranking (very low rainfall is in decile 1, low in
decile 2 or 3,
average in decile 4 to 7, high in decile 8 or 9 and very
high is in decile 10).
The Fraction of average shows how much rain has fallen this time
as a
percentage
of the long-term mean.
Where temperature area averages are mentioned, they are derived from the ACORN-SAT dataset.
Further information
- Media
- media@bom.gov.au (03) 9669 4057
