Thursday, 1 April 2010 - Monthly Climate Summary for Sydney - Greater Sydney - Product code IDCKGC15L0

Summery start to Autumn

• Below average rainfall for Sydney
• Above average maximum and minimum temperatures for Sydney
• Dominant E-NE winds in coastal Sydney in the afternoon.

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Rainfall

Sydney Observatory Hill recorded 51.4 mm in March which is below the historical average¹ of 163.5 mm. The overall dry conditions were partly due to the passage of several high pressure systems which brought mostly fine weather to Sydney and blocked any potential troughs or frontal systems coming from the south. The rain fell on 9 days which is below the historical average of 13 days. The rainfall distribution over the Sydney area varied slightly with most areas recording between 40 to 60 mm with the exception of Bankstown, Prospect Reservoir and Springwood which all recorded totals of over 80 mm. There was a wet end to March which produced the heaviest falls recorded during the month in the Sydney region with Campbelltown (Kentlyn (Georges River Road)) recording the largest falls of 79.0 mm. This was caused by a low pressure trough which passed over Sydney between the 29th and 30th of the month.

Sydney's storage levels have dropped to 58.3% following an increase in February. Recent rainfall and current levels in Sydney's water catchments can be found on the Sydney Catchment Authority web site http://www.sca.nsw.gov.au/dams/rainfall.html

Temperature

Sydney Observatory Hill recorded an average mean temperature (average of maximum and minimum temperatures) of 22.5°C which is 0.9°C above the historical average¹ of 21.6°C. This has been the warmest March since 2007 (22.7°C). The warm conditions for both maximum and minimum temperatures were partly due to the passage of several high pressure systems which brought mostly fine and warm conditions over Sydney. The high pressure systems also directed a dominant E-NE flow over Sydney which brought warm and humid conditions due to the above average sea surface temperatures off the Sydney coast.

Maximum temperature

Sydney Observatory Hill recorded an average maximum temperature of 25.7°C which is 0.5°C above the historical average¹ of 25.2°C. This is the warmest March since 2007 (26.3°C). Warm conditions were experienced across the Sydney area with Penrith recording the warmest average maximum temperature of 28.1°C. The highest daily maximum temperature recorded was 36.3°C at Sydney Airport on the 21st of the month.

Minimum temperature

Sydney Observatory Hill recorded an average minimum temperature of 19.3°C which is 1.3°C above the historical average¹ of 18.0°C. This is the warmest March since 2006 (19.6°C). Warm minimum temperatures were recorded across Sydney with Sydney Airport recording the warmest average minimum temperature of 19.4°C. The warmest daily minimum temperature was 23.0°C at Sydney Airport on the 29th of the month.

Wind

Prevailing winds in coastal Sydney during the afternoon (3pm) were E-NE for 66% of the time during March which is well above the normal frequency from this direction.

Other phenomena

The average daily sunshine in Sydney during March was 7.3 hours per day, which is above the historical average¹ of 6.5 hours per day. Sydney recorded no thunderstorms during the month (at the Sydney Airport site) compared to the historical average¹ of 2 to 3 storms.

Details Extremes Records Summaries Important notes the top

Details Extremes Records Summaries Important notes the top

Details Extremes Records Summaries Important notes the top

Daily rainfall

Most values are the precipitation in the 24 hours to 9 am on the day indicated. Days marked with »» are part of a longer accumulation, which is marked like this on the final day. Values over 100 mm have been rounded to the nearest whole millimetre. Days marked with - have a rainfall report of zero; days left blank have no rainfall report (which often indicates no rain fell).
This table is very wide; you may have to scroll sideways to see all the days, and you may need to set the paper to 'landscape' to print.

Details Extremes Records Summaries Important notes the top