Thursday, 1 July 2021 - Monthly Climate Summary for New South Wales - Product code IDCKGC15R0

New South Wales in June 2021: wet inland

June rainfall was above average in inland New South Wales due to cold fronts combining with moist tropical air. Daytime temperatures were close to average, although nights were warmer than usual in the west and south. A cold air mass behind a strong cold front brought snow to many non-alpine regions and very cold days in the middle of the month.

Wet inland, dry along the coast

• June rainfall was above average for most of inland New South Wales except for the far west, but average to below average in coastal regions.
• Averaged across the state 57.7 mm fell in June, 65% above the 1961–1990 climatological average and the wettest June since 2016.
• Moist tropical air from the eastern Indian Ocean combined with cold fronts to generate totals of 25 to 50 mm several times during the month.
• The most widespread and heaviest falls occurred on the 23rd across the Riverina and Central and South West Slopes districts.
• A few sites in the Riverina had their highest June daily rainfall on record.
• Some sites had their highest total June rainfall on record or their highest for at least 20 years.
• Predominantly westerly winds meant that the Dividing Range prevented much of the rain reaching coastal areas.
• The Northern Rivers district was particularly dry, with total rainfall less than 40% of the June average.

Cool days, relatively warm nights

• Daytime temperatures were within 1 °C of their 1961–1990 climatological June average.
• For New South Wales overall the June mean maximum temperature was 0.22 °C above average, the coolest since 2016.
• Night-time temperatures were 1 to 2 °C above average in many western and southern areas, and close to or slightly below average elsewhere.
• For New South Wales overall the June mean minimum temperature was 1.17 °C above average, the warmest since 2016.
• The cooler days and warmer nights were due to the cloudy and wet conditions across much of the state; in contrast the drought years of 2017 to 2019 saw clear skies and dry conditions in inland areas during winter months.

A cold outbreak with snow and rain

• A complex low pressure system passed over New South Wales on the 9th and 10th.
• Combined with a strong high pressure ridge over central Australia, this brought a large mass of cold air over the state.
• Up to 75 mm of rain fell over the 2 days in parts of the South Coast and Snowy Mountains districts.
• There were widespread reports of snow in elevated regions, from the Southern Tablelands to as far north as Inverell and Guyra.
• There were unusually large snowfall amounts at the southern end of the northern ranges, with falls of 30 to 50 cm reported above 1300 m in Mount Kaputar National Park causing extensive tree damage.
• The strongest wind gust during this event was 120 km/h at Thredbo on the 8th.
• Many sites had their coldest June day on record during this event.
• Sydney (Observatory Hill) recorded 10.3 °C on the 10th, the second-coldest June day in the combined record at Observatory Hill, behind 9.7 °C on 13 June 1899.

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

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top

Extremes Maps Records Summaries Important notes the top