Thursday, 1 March 2012 - Monthly Climate Summary for Sydney - Greater Sydney - Product code IDCKGC25L0

Sydney in February 2012: Mild end to summer

• Close to average rainfall, above average in much of the Metropolitan region
• Coolest maximum temperatures since 2002
• Flash flooding in western and southern Sydney

Extremes Records Summaries Important notes the top

Rainfall

Sydney Observatory Hill recorded 111 mm of rain during February, slightly below the historical average of 118.2 mm. The rain fell over 18 rain days, well above the historical average of 12 days and the most since 2002. However, only two days exceeded 10 mm, below the February average of 3 days. The wettest day at Observatory Hill was the 3rd, with 49.8 mm recorded during a widespread rain event associated with an inland low pressure trough.

Throughout most of the city, the heaviest rainfall was recorded on the 20th and 21st, associated with a coastal low pressure trough and thunderstorm activity. Large areas of Sydney exceeded 50 mm on the 20th, reaching 75 mm at Peakhurst, with much of the rain falling in less than an hour as storms crossed the city. Up to 26 mm fell in 10 minutes, with flash flooding in parts of southern Sydney. Further heavy falls were recorded on the 21st in eastern Sydney, reaching 84.6 mm at Mona Vale.

Thunderstorms also brought heavy rainfall to western Sydney on the 10th, with an isolated storm in Penrith producing 115.4 mm of rain, of which 81 mm fell between 6pm and 9pm on the 9th, resulting in flash flooding in the Penrith region. Sydney Observatory Hill was consequently one of the driest places in Sydney, with most of western, northern and southern Sydney recording well above average rainfall during February.

Temperature

The average maximum temperature at Sydney Observatory Hill during February was 26 °C, equal to the historical average but the coolest February since 2002 (25.2 °C). One day reached 30 °C at Observatory Hill (average 1-2 days), the fewest since 2008, with a maximum temperature of 33.4 °C on the 28th. Temperatures were cooler than average at stations with shorter records across the city, with temperatures at Parramatta and Richmond the coolest since 2008.

Minimum temperatures averaged 19.2 °C at Observatory Hill during February, slightly above the historical average of 18.8 °C but the coolest since 2008, with slightly below average minimums across most of the metropolitan area. The milder nights were consistent with above average cloud cover, with no nights dropping below 16 °C during the month (average 3 nights). The mean temperature at Observatory Hill was consequently 22.5 °C, 0.2 °C above average for February.

Wind

The prevailing wind direction at Sydney Airport during February was easterly, with 68% of 3pm winds between NE and SE, while 25% of 3pm winds were between SSE and SSW. This is normal for February, with westerly winds uncommon during this month. No strong wind days were reported at the airport, with the maximum wind gust reaching 72 km/hr on the 21st, while 72 km/hr was also recorded at Kurnell on the 11th.

Other phenomena

Sydney Airport recorded an average of 7.2 hours of sunshine during the month, which is average for February. There were only 3 clear days at the airport during the month, below the historical average of 5-6 days and the fewest since 3 days in 2008. There were 3 thunderstorms reported at the airport, normal for February, with 8 storms recorded anywhere in the Metropolitan region, including reports of hail on the 11th.

Extremes Records Summaries Important notes the top

Extremes Records Summaries Important notes the top

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.

Extremes Records Summaries Important notes the top