A look back at 2016

Above all though, it was a wet year west of the Divide.

Most of the state’s inland districts experienced prolific rainfall through the middle of the year. 

The period from May to September will go down in history as wettest on record for the state as a whole.

Some of the standout months were the wettest May in 16 years, third wettest June on record, wettest August in 13 years and the wettest September in more than a century.

While the mid-year deluge helped boost water storages and groundwater supplies, it also caused significant crop damage and devastated some communities by triggering widespread flooding.

It may come as a surprise to look back on so much rain and flooding without having La Nina to blame. 

This term has become synonymous with wet weather for much of eastern Australia. 

The culprits this year though were one of the strongest negative Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) events on record, above average sea surface temperatures in the Tasman Sea and a La Nina-like pattern in the tropical Pacific Ocean. 

These three features boosted the amount of moisture available in the atmosphere over NSW, particularly between May and September. 

The negative IOD finally broke down during the back half of spring, allowing drier weather to return in October into November. 

This shift saw grain crops proliferate in some areas, which came as a relief after years of failed crops.

Temperatures averaged throughout the past year were warmer than usual across NSW, although this was influenced largely by very hot conditions between February and May. 

This included the warmest February in nine years and warmest autumn on record. 

Increased cloud cover during winter and spring helped keep maximum temperatures lower than usual, although this wasn’t enough to sway the annual average.

As usual, this year will be remembered for a range of weather events across the state, although rain will probably be near the top of the list for most.