Most of NSW experienced unusually warm and dry days during September, continuing a trend seen throughout the rest of 2019 and kicking off what is expected to be an active bushfire season in some parts of the state.
Last month was the 11th driest September in 120 years of records in NSW and the state's sixth consecutive drier than usual month.
It was also the state's seventh warmest September on record based on the maximum temperatures.
While the daytime temperatures were notably warmer than usual across most of NSW last month, the nights were relatively cool in many areas.
This combination of warm days and cool nights is a typical feature of drought because the lack of cloud and depleted groundwater promotes overnight cooling and daytime heating.
This was also the case in many other parts of Australia during September.
Impressively, last month's national diurnal temperature range, which is the difference between Australia's mean maximum and minimum temperatures, was the second highest on record for September.
Dry and warm weather has been a dominant feature throughout 2019 and much longer than that in some parts of the state.
NSW just registered its warmest January to September period on record based on daytime maximum temperatures, and the fifth driest January to September period on record.
The combination of dry and warm weather also helped to produce to a spate of early-season bushfires in north-east NSW during September, some of which are still burning now.
Unfortunately, forecast models suggest that above average temperatures and below average rainfall should persist for much of NSW during the next couple of months.
This is likely to exacerbate the seasonal bushfire weather that typically occurs during late spring and early summer.
Be sure to keep up to date with the latest bushfire forecasts and warnings during the coming months in all areas of NSW.
- Visit www.weatherzone.com.au