Monday, 2 November 2020 - Monthly Climate Summary for Greater Sydney - Product code IDCKGC15L0

Greater Sydney in October 2020: a wet finish to the month

Rainfall in Greater Sydney in October was mostly above average after a wet final week of the month. Temperatures were mostly above average.

A wet finish to the month

• Rainfall in October was above average in most parts of Greater Sydney.
• Some parts of the southern suburbs had near average rainfall, but locations in northern and north-western Sydney, and on the Central Coast, had more than double their average October rainfall.
• The first 3 weeks were relatively dry, with most of the rain falling from the 24th onwards. The 26th was particularly wet, with some sites on the Central Coast receiving more than 100 mm.
• Some sites had their highest October daily rainfall on record

Temperatures generally above average

• Both maximum and minimum temperatures for October were generally above average.
• The majority of sites had maximum temperatures 0.5 °C to 1 °C above average, and minimum temperatures about 1 °C above average, although there were some larger departures from average near the coast.
• The 25th was a very cool day due to onshore flow and persistent rain, with Richmond having its coldest October day (lowest maximum temperature) on record.
• Richmond had its highest October mean daily minimum temperature on record.

Sydney (Observatory Hill)

• Total rainfall for Sydney (Observatory Hill) was 108.4 mm, 41% above the long-term average at the former Observatory Hill site.
• The mean daily maximum temperature for Sydney (Observatory Hill) was 24.2 °C, 2.0 °C above the average at the former Observatory Hill site, but cooler than October 2019.
• The warmest day was 33.7 °C on the 5th, and the coolest day was on the 25th when the temperature reached 15.2 °C.
• The mean daily minimum temperature for Sydney (Observatory Hill) was 15.3 °C, 1.7 °C above the average at the former Observatory Hill site.
• The coldest morning was 11.6 °C on the 2nd, and the warmest morning was on the 24th when the minimum temperature was 18.8 °C.

Regular thunderstorms late in the month

• There were numerous thunderstorms in the last week of the month, although they generally remained below severe levels.
• 1363.6 mm has fallen at Observatory Hill in 2020 to date, about 30% above the long-term average. This is the wettest January to October period since 1998.
• Maximum temperatures for 2020 to date are 1.8 °C above the average at the former Observatory Hill site, and minimum temperatures 0.9 °C above average. Both maximum and minimum temperatures are cooler than those of 2019.

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