Monday, 3 February 2020 - Monthly Climate Summary for New South Wales - Product code IDCKGC15R0

New South Wales in January 2020: extreme heat, severe storms, smoke and dust

New South Wales experienced a range of significant weather this month, with extreme heat, thunderstorms, smoke and dust. Rainfall was above average in the northeast and Riverina, but below average in the southeast. Temperatures were above average for most of the State.

Storms in the northeast, but dry in the southeast and far west

• Rainfall was below average across much of the State, including in the southeast and far west
• Averaged over the State, rainfall was about 64% of the January long-term mean; the last time the State had above average monthly rainfall was March 2019
• Rainfall for the month was above average in the northeast, with widespread severe thunderstorms from the 16th to the 18th; Nowendoc in the Mid North Coast had its highest total January rainfall since 1996
• The highest daily total was 209.2 mm at Dungay, near Murwillumbah, on the 18th, while other sites, including Grafton Airport, had their highest January daily rainfall on record
• The State's rainfall for the 36 months from January 2017 to December 2019 was the lowest for any 36-month period, breaking the previous record during the Federation Drought of 1900-1902

Generally warm with periods of extreme heat

• Mean maximum and minimum temperatures were well above average for January for much of the State except for the southwest
• Averaged over the State, maximum and minimum temperatures were both over 3 °C above long-term mean, and in the 10 warmest Januarys since 1910
• Strong winds on the 4th ahead of a cold front fanned bushfires in the South Coast region, and many sites in central and southeastern area reported their highest January temperature on record on the 4th or the 5th
• Penrith Lakes AWS recorded 48.9 °C on the 4th, which is the highest temperature ever recorded in the Sydney basin, exceeding the previous record of 47.8 °C recorded at Richmond RAAF on 14 January 1939
• High daytime temperatures returned to the east of the State later in the month, most notably on the 23rd and 31st
• A number of sites in the Snowy Mountains had their highest January temperature on record on the 31st, including Thredbo Village (1380 metres above sea level) with 34.8 °C
• Warm overnight conditions persisted across the northeast for much of the month, with a number of sites reporting their warmest January night (highest daily minimum temperature) on record
• A number of sites, including Nobbys Signal Station at Newcastle with over 100 years of data, had their highest January mean daily minimum temperature on record

Thunderstorms, smoke and dust

• One of the most severe hailstorms recorded in the ACT occurred on the 20th. Hail of 4 to 6 cm in diameter fell across a region extending from the southern half of Belconnen through Acton to the inner southern suburbs. Extensive damage was reported to buildings and motor vehicles
• Bushfires in the South Coast region generated a number of thunderstorms during the month
• A pyrocumulus event was reported as the fire front passed over Cabramurra (southwest of Canberra) on the 4th, with the site recording a gust of 128 km/h
• Bushfire smoke and raised dust affected the Sydney basin and Canberra at times, particularly in the first half of the month
• Raised dust fell as dirty brown rain over the Sydney basin on the 24th

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top

Maps
	Observed	Anomaly	Decile rank
Total rainfall
Mean daily maximum temperatures
Mean daily minimum temperatures

Click on a map to show it full size in a pop-up window

* 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 Important notes the top

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top