Environment & Climate
Sydney records warmest winter on record as Melbourne equals 2005 peak
High-pressure systems, El Niño conditions, and global warming contributed to unusually warm winter weather across eastern Australia.
The short version
- Sydney experienced its warmest winter on record with a mean temperature of 15.3°C, while Melbourne tied its previous 2005 record of 12.2°C.
- New South Wales, Victoria, and Tasmania all recorded their warmest overall winters, with Australia's national mean winter temperature reaching 1.45°C above the 1961–1990 baseline.
- The Bureau of Meteorology forecasts that above-average temperatures will persist through spring, driven by ongoing climate drivers including a strengthening El Niño.
Key facts
- Sydney recorded a mean winter temperature of 15.3°C at Observatory Hill, surpassing the previous record of 15.0°C set in 2013.[The Guardian]
- Melbourne matched its 2005 winter mean temperature record of 12.2°C, and Canberra set a new record for average winter maximum temperatures at 14.7°C.[The Guardian]
- New South Wales, Victoria, and Tasmania experienced their warmest winters on record, while national winter temperatures averaged 1.45°C above the 1961–1990 benchmark.[The Guardian]
- According to the Bureau of Meteorology, the high temperatures were influenced by localized atmospheric patterns, high-pressure systems over the Tasman Sea, a developing El Niño, and background global warming.[The Guardian]
- National winter rainfall was 8% above the 1961–1990 average, though precipitation was unevenly distributed with below-average rainfall on parts of the east and southwest coasts.[The Guardian]