Tuesday, 1 September 2020 - Monthly Climate Summary for New South Wales - Product code IDCKGC15R0

New South Wales in August 2020: wet and cool

It was wet across much of New South Wales this month, with above-average rainfall in north-west and the South Coast region. Daytime temperatures were generally below average, and the coolest August since 2010. Minimum temperatures were slightly above-average overall.

Heavy rain early in the month

• Rainfall was above average across much of the state in August, particularly in the north-west and over the South Coast region.
• For the state as a whole, rainfall was around 24% above the historical average and the wettest August since 2016.
• A cold air outbreak, with a complex low pressure system, brought rain to much of inland New South Wales early in the month.
• The typically dry north-west area received over three times its average August rainfall in some parts.
• The complex low-pressure system then brought heavy rain to the South Coast region during 8–10 August, with up to 370 mm reported at some sites over the three day period.
• The heaviest falls were on the 9th, when some sites had their highest August daily rainfall on record.
• Overall, some sites had their highest total August rainfall on record or their highest total August rainfall for at least 20 years.

Generally cool days

• Conditions were generally cool for most of August, with a succession of fronts bringing a west to south-westerly flow over the state.
• For the state as whole, the mean daytime maximum temperature was 0.11 °C below average, the coolest August since 2010.
• A cold air outbreak, with daytime temperatures up to 10 degrees below the August average, covered much of the state during 6–8 August.
• Some sites had their coldest August day on record, while the Armidale town site and Lake Victoria had their lowest August temperatures on record.
• Cloudy conditions meant that minimum temperatures were above average along much of the coast.
• The mean minimum temperature for the state as a whole was 0.48 °C above average, the warmest since 2016.

Snow to low levels

• A series of cold fronts brought cold and windy conditions to alpine areas during 21–23 August.
• On the 22nd, this brought up to 30 cm of snow to the hills around Orange, falls above 750 m around Canberra and light falls in the Blue Mountains.
• The maximum temperature of -5.1 °C at Thredbo AWS on the 22nd is the coldest in Australia this winter.

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