Prosper in a dynamic world
Search

Sydney’s wettest July on record

 

Sydney is already having its wettest July on record, despite only being halfway through the month.

As of 9am on Thursday, July 14, Sydney’s Observatory Hill weather station had received 342.2 mm of rain since the beginning of the month. This is about 3.5 times its long-term July monthly average, and makes this already Sydney’s wettest July in records dating back to 1858.

Prior to 2022, Sydney’s highest July total was 336.1 mm in 1950. Impressively, it only took 14 days to break that record in 2022.

This month’s record-breaking rainfall continues an exceptionally wet year for Sydney. The city’s Observatory Hill weather station registered 1547.4 mm of rain during the first six months of 2022, which was its wettest January to June period in 164 years of records.

With July’s rainfall now added to the mix, Sydney’s running annual total had hit a whopping 1889.6 mm as of 9am on Thursday, July 14. This is easily Sydney’s wettest year-to-date on record, beating 1581.1 mm to the same date in 1891, by more than 300 mm.

Latest news

Satisfy your weather obsession with these news headlines from around the nation, and the world.

Signs of a positive Indian Ocean Dipole, but it may not follow the textbook

Waters off Indonesia have cooled in recent weeks, an indication that a positive Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) event could be developing. It’s an important climate driver for Australia, and it could shape rainfall and temperatures heading into summer, with flow-on effects for farmers, energy and other industries.  What is the Indian Ocean Dipole?  The IOD […]

1.3 million lightning strikes and a record September downpour: the storms testing WA’s Goldfields

Leonora, WA, had its wettest September day on record earlier this month. Three weeks later, more than 1.3 million lightning pulses were detected within 800 km of the town in 48 hours. Why is a stalled trough delivering storms to mining country, and what it could mean for operations?  The DTN Total Lightning Network detected […]

A very low wind power week, likely to continue

A stubborn blocking high over southern Australia will make for a very quiet week for wind generation and the pattern behind it isn’t a one-off.   It’s the seasonal signature of a super (very strong) El Niño combined with a positive Southern Annular Mode (SAM), and both the historical record and the current seasonal forecast suggest it’s likely to keep recurring through spring before a potential switch from November.  The setup right […]

Fastest strengthening El Niño on record: Impacts on Australian monsoon timing and wet season planning

Australia’s Mining and Resources sectors are bracing for a wet season shaped by one of the most rapidly developing El Niño events on record.    Looking back at how the strongest El Niño events in Australian history have played out, it becomes apparent that mining operations in Australia should be planning for a later monsoon […]