Sydney swelters over hot and dry January
Sydney swelters over hot and dry January
25 January 2010
published by news.smh.com.au
Australia — Sydney has experienced a hotter and drier January than usual, with less than half the average rainfall expected by the end of the month.
Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) statistics show Sydney has so far experienced temperatures almost two degrees above average for January – 27.8 degrees Celsius compared to a monthly average of 25.9.
The city has received just 30.4mm of rain, with final rain figures expected to peak at 55mm by the end of January – little more than half of the 102.2mm it usually receives.
“This January has certainly been drier than average – sunnier and warmer,” NSW BoM Climate Services manager Clinton Rakich told AAP on Monday.
“We are not expecting significant amounts of rainfall before the end of the month, meaning it will be a significantly drier January than usual.”
Sydney has had an average of 7.6 hours of sunshine daily, compared to an average of 7.1 hours, while minimum temperatures have not fallen below 20.5 degrees.
Figures are still being compiled for the rest of NSW.
Saturday’s extreme heat of 41.3 degrees was significantly higher than average, but failed to break any records, Mr Rakich said.
“The hottest temperature ever recorded in Sydney in January is 45.3 degrees. That occurred on 14 January, 1939,” he said.
The hotter weather has led to an increase in bushfires, with the NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) reporting a busier-than-usual January.
“We have been extremely busy for the last six weeks,” RFS spokesman Alex Chesser said.
“It has been quite varied, but we have had a couple of extreme to severe fire days and significant fires in western Sydney and in the far south coast.”
Firefighters are currently battling a blaze near Bega on the south coast, having to resort to water bombing due to the fire’s isolated location, Mr Chesser said.
No properties are under threat.
