IT HAS been a cold start to winter in NSW, with some areas experiencing daily frosts and others their lowest temperature in years. But will the wintery weather continue throughout the season?
Conditions during the opening week of winter have been ideal for cold overnight temperatures.
A stubborn high pressure system centred over the nation's south east has brought clear skies and light winds, which have allowed daytime warmth to escape easily after sunset.
As of Wednesday morning, the average minimum temperature for June to date was five to seven degrees colder than usual for a number of locations in the state’s central and southern inland. Nowhere west of the ranges was above the long-term average minimum temperature to so far this month.
Some places have even seen their lowest temperature in three years during the past week, including Griffith (-3.1C), Cobar (-4C) and Condobolin (-4.3C).
While minimums have been lower than usual, the running average daytime maximum temperature has been within a degree of the norm in most places during the past week.
Rainfall has been virtually non-existent west of the ranges so far this month, despite a low pressure system bringing heavy falls to parts of the coast and adjacent ranges this week.
Both average maximums and below average rainfall are to be expected under the influence of a stubborn high pressure system at this time of year.
Looking ahead, warmer-than-usual sea surface temperatures in the equatorial Pacific Ocean and cooler water in the eastern Indian Ocean are expected to influence weather across NSW during the rest of winter.
These patterns are known to increase the chance of below average rainfall across inland parts of the state and may cause above-average daytime temperatures as well.
In the near-term, frost won’t be as widespread tomorrow as it was this morning, although it will return to many areas in the southern inland as overnight temperatures drop once again on Saturday.
