Monday, 2 September 2019 - Seasonal Climate Summary for New South Wales - Product code IDCKGC25R0

New South Wales in winter 2019: a dry winter with warm days but cold nights

Winter rainfall for much of NSW was very much below average, with some areas having their driest winter on record. Maximum temperatures were generally above the winter average and record warm in the northeast, but nights were cold inland.

Drier than average conditions

• Winter rainfall totals were generally very much below average across New South Wales, with areas in the northern inland having their driest winter on record
• Several inland sites and a few on the South Coast had their lowest total winter rainfall on record, with many more having their driest for several decades
• Rainfall totals were close to average for many areas close to the coast, and above average in parts of the Hunter coast following rain at the end of August
• Total winter rainfall for New South Wales was 62% below average, the fourth-lowest on record and the lowest since 1982
• High pressure systems across the south of the country have dominated the winter weather, leading to lower rainfalls than usual
• Rainfall for the year to date has been below average over most of New South Wales, with areas of record low in the northeast

Days very much warmer than average, but cold nights inland

• Mean maximum temperatures for winter were above average across New South Wales, very much above average in the eastern half and record high in parts of the northeast of the State
• Many sites, especially in the northeast and including Quirindi, Bathurst and Glen Innes had their highest winter mean daily maximum temperature on record; several others had their second-highest
• Cold nights were common in June and August, especially inland in the south, but coastal areas were mostly warmer than average for winter
• The mean maximum temperature for the State was 1.44 °C above average and the fifth-warmest winter on record; the last three winters have all been in the warmest ten
• The State's mean minimum temperature was 0.53 °C above average, and the overall mean temperature was the eighth-warmest on record at 0.99°C above average
• Temperatures for the year to date have been above average over most of New South Wales, with areas of record high mean maximum temperature in the east

Strong winds and snow

• A complex low in early June brought heavy snow to the Blue Mountain and wind gusts of up to 130km/h
• A series of cold fronts moving across the State between 11 and 15 July brought blizzard conditions to alpine regions and a maximum wind gust of 131km/h to Thredbo on 14 July
• A significant cold outbreak in brought snow to the Alps from about 7 August, and by 10 and 11 August many locations above about 600 m received snow, including Orange, Guyra, Lithgow, Canberra, the Barrington Tops and the Blue Mountains

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 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 higher value has gone unreported

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top