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Summer’s come early to Sydney, with temperatures in the high 20s arriving only eight days into spring.
In news sure to brighten workers’ Monday morning woes, sunny conditions and balmy temperatures will welcome those who get a chance to go outside today.
Swimmers enjoy warm weather in Sydney last month. Credit: Sitthixay Ditthavong
Areas including Richmond, Penrith and Liverpool are forecast to reach up to 29 degrees, while coastal areas including Bondi will hit about 26.
Monday’s temperatures are well above the mean September maximum of 20.1 degrees, but they will still be several degrees lower than the month’s heat records.
A September day in 1965 holds that title, when temperatures of 34.6 degrees were recorded in Sydney.
But the “unusually warm” weather isn’t expected to last long, said the Bureau of Meteorology’s Jiwon Park, noting that the balmy weather comes courtesy of a warm air mass being pushed ahead of an oncoming cold front.
“Ahead of the passage of a cold front, you usually get heat because the winds come northerly and they draw heat from inland Australia,” Park said.
“That’s why we are seeing some warmer temperatures for spring.”
The heat will then quickly dissipate, making way for successively colder days, starting with showers on Tuesday.
“[The warm weather] will not last long, because of a change into wet and windy conditions and a drop in temperatures thanks to the passage of a cold front on Wednesday,” Park said.
A dumping of up to 30mm of rain is forecast for Wednesday, with isolated downpours possibly reaching 50mm to 70mm in parts of Sydney. Wednesday will also bring a chance of thunderstorms.
The poor weather will continue on Thursday. While the rain will lighten, heavy southerly winds are expected to follow the cold front and low-pressure systems at speeds of 20 to 30km/h.
Dry weather will return on Friday, ahead of a mostly sunny weekend.
The start of spring also marks the beginning of NSW’s storm season. While dangerous storms can strike at any time, the SES designates September to April as the state’s official storm season to promote awareness and preparedness.
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