Wednesday, 1 September 2021 - Seasonal Climate Summary for New South Wales - Product code IDCKGC25R0

New South Wales in winter 2021: Warm and rainfall slightly above average

Winter 2021 in New South Wales was the equal tenth-warmest on record in terms of mean temperature. Both mean maximum and mean minimum temperatures were warmer than average. Rainfall was above average for the state as a whole and it was the wettest winter since 2016.

Wet over the Great Dividing Range

• Averaged over the state, 127.6 mm of rainfall fell over winter, 14% above the 1961–1990 climatological average and the wettest winter since 2016.
• Rainfall was above average over the Great Dividing Range, in particular, over the Central and Northern Tablelands.
• The wetter than average winter was heavily in part due to a particularly wet June where a series of cold fronts brought significant rainfall to inland areas, resulting in state-averaged rainfall being 65% above the 1961–1990 average.
• Rainfall was especially significant along and on the west side of the ranges, with a few locations in the Northern Tablelands having their wettest winter on record.
• State-averaged rainfall July was 9% above than the 1961–1990 climatological average with cold fronts again generating above average rainfall over the Great Dividing Range and its western slopes.
• In contrast, August was 33% below the 1961–1990 climatological average.
• The passage of a cold front on the 23rd of August, which later assisted in the development of a coastal low on the 24th, brought widespread rainfall to the eastern half of the state in what was otherwise a relatively dry month.
• Some sites had their highest winter daily rainfall on record on 24 June or 24 August.
• A few sites had their highest total winter rainfall on record or their highest total winter rainfall for at least 20 years.

Warm days and night

• The New South Wales winter mean temperature was 0.93 °C above the 1961–1990 average, the equal tenth-warmest on record and the warmest since 2016.
• June daytime temperatures were close to average while night-time temperatures were above average in many western and southern areas.
• July daytime temperatures were above average along most of the coast as well as over the far west, while night-time temperatures were above average over most of the eastern half of the state.
• August daytime temperatures were well above average, being 1 to 2 °C above the 1961–1990 climatological average while night-time temperatures were above average over the coast and the Northern Tablelands.
• Cloudy conditions contributed to the above average night-time temperatures observed in June while clear skies contributed to the above average daytime temperatures observed in August.
• Some sites had their coldest winter day (lowest maximum temperature) on record as a result of a strong cold front.
• Coonabarabran had its highest winter mean daily minimum temperature for at least 20 years.

Cold outbreak in early June

• A complex low pressure system passed over New South Wales on the 9th and 10th of July, resulting in heavy rainfall over the South Coast and the Snowy Mountains districts, as well as widespread snowfall over the Great Dividing Range.
• Many sites recorded their coldest June day on record while some sites in central and northern inland New South Wales had their coldest winter day on record.

A strong cold front and a coastal low in late August

• A strong cold front passed over New South Wales on the 23th, producing rainfall over the Great Dividing Range and its western slopes as well as snowfall over elevated regions.
• This cold front later assisted in the development of a coastal low off the central New South Wales coast on the 24th which resulted in widespread rainfall along the New South Wales Coast.
• The coastal low moved away from the mainland resulting in the impact contracting to central parts of the New South Wales coasts along with their adjacent Highlands by the 25th. Many sites along the central coast of New South Wales recorded two-day totals in excess of their monthly averages.

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

Click on a map to show it full size in a pop-up window

* 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 higher 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

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top