Monday, 3 September 2018 - Seasonal Climate Summary for New South Wales - Product code IDCKGC25R0

New South Wales in winter 2018: Very dry with warm days and cool nights

Winter 2018 rainfall across New South Wales was 54% below average, the eighth lowest on record. Daytime temperatures were the fifth warmest on record across the State. The clear skies and dry conditions resulted in cool overnight temperatures, with areas in the Western districts the lowest on record.

Very dry conditions

• The total rainfall for New South Wales as a whole for winter 2018 was 53.1 mm, 54% below average
• Rainfall was very much below average over much of the state, with parts of the Western districts receiving their lowest winter rainfall on record
• A number of sites had their lowest total winter rainfall on record or their lowest total winter rainfall for at least 20 years
• Parts of the Darling and North Coast regions recorded near-average rainfall across winter
• Widespread two day totals of 25-50 mm were recorded in the Darling region in late June, with Brewarrina, east of Bourke recording 67 mm on the 27 and 28 June
• A low pressure system and associated trough brought widespread rainfall totals in excess of 10 mm throughout central and northern New South Wales on 26 August
• The localised falls did not significantly change the long-term rainfall deficiencies, with the State recording the driest January to August period since 1965
• Pan evaporation across the State was at its highest level in winter since the Millennium Drought in 2002 and 2003
• Soil moisture content for July was the lowest on record in parts of the Northwest Slopes

Warm days and cool nights

• Daytime temperatures for New South Wales for winter 2018 were 1.42 °C above average, the fifth highest on record
• Almost all of the State experienced above average to very much above average daytime temperatures, with only the Southwest Slopes reporting near-average daytime temperatures
• The last season with state-wide below average daytime temperatures was spring 2016
• Some sites in the Northwest Slopes and Northern Tablelands had their highest winter mean daily maximum temperature on record
• Night time temperatures for New South Wales for winter 2018 were 0.17 °C below average, somewhat warmer than in winter 2017. In contrast winter 2016 was the warmest on record for the State
• The clear skies and dry conditions resulted in most of the State west of the Dividing Range, and the northeast, experiencing below average night time temperatures. Parts of the northwest of the State had their lowest night time temperatures on record
• On 15 July, minimum temperatures were more than 8 °C cooler than average in some areas, dropping below zero across most of the State and resulting in widespread frosts. Some sites in the Central Tablelands and Western Sydney had their lowest winter temperature on record
• The -14.2 °C at Perisher Valley AWS on 29 August is the coldest temperature recorded in Australia since 2011

Snow, wind, dust and fire

• The snow depth at Spencers Creek reached 224.6 cm on August 22. The maximum snow depth in 2017 was 240.9 cm on September 20
• The strongest wind gust in the State was 141 km/h at Thredbo AWS on 8 June. This was the strongest gust at the site since 146 km/h was recorded on 3 September 2017
• Windy conditions inland during August led to raised dust throughout the State
• Bushfires occurred in August along the East Coast and in parts of the Tablelands and Slopes and Plains districts

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

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* note: there are gaps in the historical record at this site, so it is possible a lower value has gone unreported

* note: there are gaps in the historical record at this site, so it is possible a higher value has gone unreported

* note: there are gaps in the historical record at this site, so it is possible a lower value has gone unreported

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top