Sydney Has Been Sweltering Through One of Its Hottest Early September Days Ever
The mercury hit 34 degrees in some areas today.
Spring has only just begun, but Sydneysiders can be forgiven for thinking that it already feels like summer. An unseasonably warm day was predicted for Saturday, September 15 — and it has not only come to fruition, but seen the day rank among the hottest temperatures ever recorded in early September.
Some parts of the Sydney area reached 34 degrees, with the airport topping out at 33.3 degrees and Penrith hitting 33.2. As Weatherzone noted on September 12, Penrith and Richmond had already recorded their earliest September day when temperatures hit 30.2 and 30.7 respectively — figures they've now both beaten. And the Sydney Morning Herald reports that these widespread 30-plus figures mark just the tenth time in 160 years that the city has exceeded 30 degrees prior to or on September 15.
The hottest September day on record actually reached 34.6 back in 1965; however to put that and today's temps in context, the average for the month is a very mild 21.2.
It seems that the weather is starting this warm season as it finished the last, with autumn seeing a wave of late heat take the March mercury past 40 degrees. And, of course, the 2017–18 summer saw the city experience its second hottest day ever, so sunny, sultry days have been proving a trend.
At present, this scorcher will be short-lived. While it's still over 30 degrees at the time of writing, a cool change is expected, with temperatures plummeting sharply. On Sunday, September 16, the sun will be out but a maximum of just 17 degrees is forecast, with the coming week climbing up to 25 degrees before dropping down to a top of 18 on Friday.
Via Sydney Morning Herald / Weatherzone.
