Monday, 2 September 2019 - Monthly Climate Summary for Greater Sydney - Product code IDCKGC15L0

Greater Sydney in August 2019: Warm days with welcome rain to end the month

Greater Sydney experienced a mild August, with daytime temperatures generally up to 1.0 °C above average throughout. Overnight temperatures were close to average. The start of the month was particularly dry, but the last week of the month brought some welcome rainfall.

A wet end to the month

• After a very dry start to the month, rainfall in the final week raised totals across the Greater Sydney Region to near average for August along the coast, with areas of the northeast, such as Gosford, Mangrove Mountain, Lake Macquarie all receiving above average rainfall; parts of the west and southwest of the region still fell short of reaching their average rainfall for the month
• A trough of low pressure resulted in light to moderate falls during the 26th, with 34.6 mm being recorded at Collaroy (Long Reef Golf Club) for the 24 hours to 9am on the 27th
• Further rainfall was recorded from the 29th to 31st of the month, as an offshore trough lingered in the western Tasman Sea bringing instability and a moist onshore flow across the region; falls were generally heavier in the north with Gosford recording 198.6 mm over the last two days of the month; much of the west and southwest only recorded light falls during the event with Penrith Lakes, Richmond RAAF and Campbelltown (Kentlyn (Georges River Road) each recording less than 10 mm over the two days
• Sydney water storage levels continued to fall throughout winter now reaching 50% capacity, down 16% compared to time last year; levels have now been falling consistently since June 2017
• Yarramalong (Lewensbrook) in the north of the region had its highest total August rainfall for at least 20 years
• The year to date rainfall for Sydney (Observatory Hill) is 677.0 mm, below the average of 909.1 mm for the January to August period

Warmer days, near average nights

• Maximum temperatures in August were slightly above average throughout, with most sites recording daytime temperatures of up to 1.0 °C warmer than average
• Daytime temperatures were particularly cool on the weekend of the 10th and 11th, as a series of cold fronts affected the region; Mount Boyce reached a maximum of only 2.5 °C on both days, almost 9 °C below the average for August and its coldest August day (lowest maximum temperature) on record
• A burst of warmth was experienced over the weekend of the 24th and 25th as a high in the Tasman directed warm air over the region; Richmond RAAF reached 26.2 °C, the warmest day of the month
• Minimum temperatures were close to average for August, with overnight temperatures ranging from 1.0 °C below average at Penrith Lakes AWS to 1.0 °C above average at Sydney Airport
• Richmond RAAF recorded 8 days where the minimum dropped below 0.0 °C, almost double the average for August
• Badgerys Creek had its lowest August temperature on record, dropping to -2.0 °C on the 7th
• For year-to-date, Sydney has recorded a mean maximum temperature of 23.6 °C, the highest ever on record for the January to August period; and a mean minimum temperature of 14.8 °C, the third-highest on record for the same period

Sydney (Observatory Hill)

• Total rainfall for Sydney (Observatory Hill) was 73.0 mm, which is 91% of the long-term average of 80.2 mm
• The mean daily maximum temperature for Sydney (Observatory Hill) was 19.5 °C, which is 1.6 °C above the long-term average of 17.9 °C. The warmest day was 25.5 °C on the 24th, and the coolest day was on the 29th when the temperature reached 14.5 °C
• The mean daily minimum temperature for Sydney (Observatory Hill) was 9.4 °C, which is 0.4 °C above the long-term average of 9.0 °C. The coldest morning was 6.4 °C on the 15th, and the warmest morning was on the 26th when the minimum temperature was 13.4 °C

Other phenomena

• A series of strong cold fronts crossed southeast Australia bringing vigorous westerly winds across New South Wales, including the Greater Sydney Region from the 8th to 11th. The system also brought snow to low levels during the weekend of the 10th and 11th, including across the Blue Mountains in the west of the region. Some road closures were in force, including a part of the Great Western Highway between Wentworth Falls and Mount Victoria, due to snow.
• A deep low pressure system over the Southern Ocean produced large and powerful southerly swell for the Sydney Coast from 21 to 23 August, with wave heights peaking on the 22nd; a waverider buoy located about 10km off Sydney's Northern Beaches registered a maximum wave height of 13.32 m on the 22nd.

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Daily observations Important notes the top

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Daily observations Important notes the top

* 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 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