Thursday, 9 January 2020 - Annual Climate Summary for Greater Sydney - Product code IDCKGC55L0

Greater Sydney in 2019: record warm, rainfall below average

Most sites in Sydney had their highest annual mean daily maximum temperature on record in 2019, with night-time temperatures also well above average in most suburbs. Rainfall was below average overall, despite some very wet days.

Rainfall below average, despite some heavy rain

• Total rainfall for the year was below average across Greater Sydney
• A few sites reported their driest year on record or their lowest total rainfall for several decades
• In most months, rainfall was below average, with April, May, November and December particularly dry, but some very wet days meant March, June and September were wetter than usual for most of Greater Sydney

Record warm days

• Daytime temperatures were well above average across Greater Sydney, with many sites having their highest mean daily maximum temperature on record; in many cases the previous record was only set in 2018
• January brought several hot days, including temperatures well over 40 °C in western Sydney, and for many sites it was the warmest January on record; the heat affected most of New South Wales and is discussed in the Special Climate Statements Widespread heatwaves during December 2018 and January 2019
• July was also exceptionally warm for the time of year, with eight consecutive days exceeding 20 °C at Sydney (Observatory Hill), the longest ever such spell in July on record; similarly in the west, Penrith Lakes set a new July record with ten consecutive days of 20 °C or more
• November and December brought more warm to hot weather, along with dry and windy conditions giving dangerous fire weather days; smoke from a large number of fires surrounding the city caused serious problems on several days

Record warm days at Sydney (Observatory Hill)

• Total rainfall for Sydney (Observatory Hill) was 851.8 mm, which is 70% of the long-term average
• The mean daily maximum temperature for Sydney (Observatory Hill) was record high at 24.0 °C, which is 2.2 °C above the long-term average of 21.8 °C and 0.2 °C above the previous record set in 2016
• The temperature reached 30 °C or more on 34 days, the highest number for any year on record (exceeding the 31 days seen in 1922) and well above the average of about 15 days that warm each year
• The warmest day was 39.6 °C on 31 Jan, and the coolest day was on 4 June when the temperature reached 14.1 °C
• The mean daily minimum temperature for Sydney (Observatory Hill) was 15.1 °C, which is 1.3 °C above the long-term average of 13.8 °C
• The coldest morning was 6.1 °C on 20 Jun, and the warmest morning was on 19 Jan when the minimum temperature was 23.5 °C

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top

* 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