Thursday, 1 December 2011 - Seasonal Climate Summary for Sydney - Greater Sydney - Product code IDCKGC15L0

Sydney in spring 2011: Equal 5th warmest spring nights on record

• Above average rainfall, wettest spring since 2004.
• Above average maximum temperatures.
• Equal 5th warmest spring on record for minimum temperatures.

Extremes Records Summaries Important notes the top

Rainfall

Sydney Observatory Hill recorded 257.4 mm of rainfall during spring, above the historical average of 230.1 mm and slightly wetter than Spring 2010 (256.8 mm), making it the wettest spring since 2004 (361 mm). Most of the rain fell during November, with closer to average falls during September and below average during October.

There were two particularly wet events during the season. The first, between the 25th and 26th of September, caused two-day totals of 53.8 mm at Observatory Hill and up to 112.2 mm at Turramurra, associated with moist easterly windflow. The second was associated with a low pressure trough towards the end of November, with daily falls of up to 38.8 mm at Observatory Hill and four-day totals as high as 152.6 mm at Berowra in northern Sydney. The wettest single day was at Cronulla on October 15, with isolated heavy rain causing falls of up to 78 mm, but little rain elswhere in Sydney.

Temperature

Maximum temperatures were above average in Sydney during spring, at 23 °C compared to the historical average of 21.9 °C, with slightly warmer than average days throughout the metropolitan region. Temperatures were generally warm during September and November, but closer to average in October associated with cloudy conditions. There were seven days above 30 °C during the season, above the historical average of 4.3 days and substantially more than Spring 2010 (2 days).

The average minimum temperature was 14.8 °C at Sydney Observatory Hill during spring, 1.9 °C above the historical average. This is the equal 5th warmest spring on record for minimum temperatures, and the warmest since spring 2009 (15.4 °C); Sydney has not recorded below average minimum temperatures in spring since 1974. Minimums were above average throughout the season, but particularly towards the end of spring, with the 3rd warmest November on record. This included the equal 5th warmest spring night on record, with 24.2 °C on November 10.

Wind

Winds were predominantly southerly to easterly during spring, with 80% of 3pm winds at Sydney Airport between S and NE, typical for spring. There were only 7 strong wind days during the season, below average for spring, with the highest wind gusts reaching 96 km/hr at Richmond RAAF associated with a southerly change on September 29.

Other phenomena

Sydney Airport recorded an average of 7 hours of sunshine during spring, slightly below the historical average of 7.4 hours, associated with cloudy conditions in October and November. There were three thunderstorms reported at the Airport, below the spring average of 8 storms, with 15 thunderstorms reported anywhere in the Metropolitan region.

Extremes Records Summaries Important notes the top

Extremes Records Summaries Important notes the top