Friday, 1 June 2018 - Monthly Climate Summary for Greater Sydney - Product code IDCKGC15L0

Greater Sydney in May 2018: very warm and dry conditions persist

Rainfall was below average across Greater Sydney during May. Days were warmer, whilst nights were cooler for most sites but slightly warmer at the Airport and Observatory Hill.

Dry conditions throughout

• Rainfall was well below average across Greater Sydney during May, with many sites recording less than 20% of their typical falls
• Scattered falls during the last two days of May raised monthly totals to slightly above record dry levels for many sites, however, it remained the lowest total May rainfall on record at Penrith Lakes, with only 3.2 mm for the month
• There were 7 days of rain at Observatory Hill, well below the May average of 13 rain days, while only one day (14th) recorded more than 5 mm (average 5 days); similarly in the west of the region, Richmond RAAF only recorded 2 rain days (average 10 days), and zero days with more than 5 mm
• Sydney Airport recorded a daily average of 7.9 sunshine hours, above the May average of 6.3 hours

Warm days persist

• Daytime temperatures were warmer than average, with most suburbs recording mean maximum temperatures 1 °C to 2 °C above average
• The first 10 days of May were particularly warm, with 7 of these days maximum temperatures exceeding 25 °C at Observatory Hill, compared to its May average of 1 day; Observatory Hill also recorded 25.4 °C on the 29th, therefore equaling its most number of days (8) in May with maximum temperatures of 25 °C or greater, along with May 2016
• A strong cold front which moved through the region on the 11th brought an end to the warm temperatures, with daytime temperatures returning to close to average for the remainder of the month
• The warmest day of the month was on the 3rd, when Richmond RAAF recorded 29.2 °C (the highest May temperature on record for the current site, although the previous nearby site recorded 30.0 °C in May 1958)
• Minimum temperatures were mostly below average, with temperatures ranging from 1.4 °C cooler than average at Mangrove Mountain to 0.8 °C warmer than average at Sydney Airport and Katoomba
• Despite the cooler than average nights at Mangrove Mountain, it also had its warmest May night (highest daily minimum temperature) on record on the 4th, with a daily minimum temperature of 18.4 °C

Sydney (Observatory Hill)

• Total rainfall for Sydney (Observatory Hill) was 23.2 mm, which is 20% of the long-term average of 118.0 mm
• The mean daily maximum temperature for Sydney (Observatory Hill) was 21.7 °C, which is 2.2 °C above the long-term average of 19.5 °C. The warmest day was 26.8 °C on the 4th, and the coolest day was on the 11th when the temperature reached 16.5 °C
• The mean daily minimum temperature for Sydney (Observatory Hill) was 11.9 °C, which is 0.3 °C above the long-term average of 11.6 °C. The coldest morning was 9.2 °C on the 20th, and the warmest morning was on the 4th when the minimum temperature was 16.6 °C

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Daily observations Important notes the top

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Daily observations Important notes the top

The previous site at Richmond recorded a higher temperature of 30.0 °C on 3 May 1958

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Daily observations Important notes the top

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Daily observations Important notes the top

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Daily observations Important notes the top