Thursday, 1 October 2020 - Monthly Climate Summary for Greater Sydney - Product code IDCKGC15L0

Greater Sydney in September 2020: warm and dry, especially near the coast

September had below-average rainfall and above-average temperatures near the coast. Monthly rainfall totals and temperatures were closer to average in the western suburbs and the Blue Mountains.

Rainfall near to or below average

• Rainfall was slightly below average over the bulk of Greater Sydney, with most sites 10 to 40% below average.
• Some coastal sites received only about half their monthly average.
• Rainfall was near average in the Blue Mountains and at some sites in south-western Sydney.
• There were no major rain events during the month, with the majority of sites having no daily totals above 10 mm.

A generally warm month

• Both maximum and minimum temperatures were generally above average.
• Mean maximum and minimum temperatures were each about 2 °C above average at long-term sites near the coast, grading to 1 °C above average in the west.
• Some sites had their warmest September night (highest daily minimum temperature) on record
• Some sites had their highest September mean daily minimum temperature for at least 20 years

Sydney (Observatory Hill)

• Complete rainfall totals for the month are not available at the site because of a gauge blockage on the 10th, on which it is estimated between 5 and 10 mm fell. 23.0 mm fell on the remaining days of the month, indicating a monthly total about half the long-term average.
• The mean daily maximum temperature for Sydney (Observatory Hill) was 22.7 °C. This is 2.6 °C above the long-term average at the previous site.
• The warmest day was 31.7 °C on the 17th, and the coolest day was on the 9th when the temperature reached 16.1 °C
• The mean daily minimum temperature for Sydney (Observatory Hill) was 13.1 °C. This is 2.0 °C above the long-term average at the previous site.
• The coldest morning was 8.8 °C on the 28th, and the warmest morning was on the 22nd when the minimum temperature was 19.3 °C.
• Maximum temperatures for the year to date are 1.8 °C above average, although lower than those in the last four years. Minimum temperatures for the year to date are 0.8 °C above average.
• Rainfall for the year to date is about 30% above average, making it one of the two wettest January to September periods of the 21st century alongside 2016.

High winds on the 25th

• High winds affected Greater Sydney on the 25th as a cold front crossed the region. A number of sites recorded wind gusts exceeding 100 km/h, with power outages and some building damage; the SES received several hundred calls for assistance.
• Light snowfalls occurred on the highest parts of the Blue Mountains during the evening of the 25th.
• Observatory Hill reached 30.5 °C on the 3rd, the third-earliest date of a temperature of 30 °C or above in the second half of the year behind 1954 (24 August) and 1995 (26 August).

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

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Daily observations Important notes the top

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Daily observations Important notes the top