Friday, 1 November 2019 - Monthly Climate Summary for Greater Sydney - Product code IDCKGC15L0

Greater Sydney in October 2019: warm days and drier than average

Greater Sydney experienced a warm October, with daytime temperatures above average throughout. Overnight temperatures were generally close to average for October although a warm morning on the 26th set new records for several sites. Rainfall was below average for the region, with most of the falls recorded in the first half of the month.

Drier than average

• Rainfall was below average across the Greater Sydney region, with many sites recording less than 50% of their typical October falls
• Most rainfall fell in the first two weeks of the month, with very little rainfall recorded in the latter half of the month
• An upper level trough resulted in widespread shower activity across the region on the 11th, with St Ives (Richmond Avenue) recording 51.6 mm for the 24 hours to 9am on the 12th, the wettest in the region for the month; many sites in the northern suburbs exceeded 20 mm on this day
• There were eight rain days at Sydney (Observatory Hill), below the October average of around 12 days
• For the year to date Sydney (Observatory Hill) has recorded 824.0 mm of rain, 78% of the January-October average

Warm days, near average nights

• Mean daytime temperatures were above average across the region, with most sites recording average maximum temperatures of 1.0 °C to 2.0 °C warmer than normal, with Katoomba (Farnells Rd) in the Blue Mountains recording daytime temperatures of 2.9 °C warmer than its October average
• Mount Boyce in the Blue Mountains had its highest October mean daily maximum temperature on record exceeding the previous record set in 2015
• The 25th was a particularly hot and windy day, with temperatures exceeding 35 °C across the Sydney basin; Penrith Lakes AWS reached 38.3 °C on this day, its third-hottest October day in its 25 years of record and the hottest for the month in Greater Sydney
• Overnight temperatures were fairly typical for October with most sites being within 1.0 °C of average; the exceptions were Sydney Airport and Sydney (Observatory Hill), which were 1.4 °C and 1.1 °C above average respectively
• The morning of the 26th was especially warm, with many sites in Greater Sydney recording minimum temperatures above 20 °C; Canterbury Racecourse, Richmond RAAF, Badgerys Creek and Horsley Park Equestrian Centre all had their warmest October night (highest daily minimum temperature) on record
• It has been the warmest January-October on record for Sydney (Observatory Hill) for overall mean temperature (19.0 °C) and for mean maximum temperature (23.5 °C), with the mean minimum temperature being seventh-warmest on record for the period

Sydney (Observatory Hill)

• Total rainfall for Sydney (Observatory Hill) was 34.2 mm, which is 45% of the long-term average of 76.7 mm
• The mean daily maximum temperature for Sydney (Observatory Hill) was 24.4 °C, which is 2.2 °C above the long-term average of 22.2 °C.
• The warmest day was 37.2 °C on the 25th, its equal fourth-highest October day on record, and the coolest day was on the 11th when the temperature reached 18.3 °C
• The mean daily minimum temperature for Sydney (Observatory Hill) was 14.7 °C, which is 1.1 °C above the long-term average of 13.6 °C.
• The coldest morning was 10.6 °C on the 9th, and the warmest morning was on the 26th when the minimum temperature was 23.0 °C

Other phenomena

• Hot, dry and windy conditions ahead of a cold front on the 25th resulted in Fire Weather Warnings for the region

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