THE first week of March will be mostly dry over inland areas of NSW, although storms look set to return to some parts of the state by early next week.
A high pressure ridge extending across south-eastern Australia will keep rain at bay for most of western NSW in the coming days.
Clear skies will also allow temperatures to rise, with the mercury pushing into the mid-to-high thirties (degrees Celsius) in some areas of western NSW by the weekend or even into early next week.
This dry weather pattern will then give way to a low pressure trough that should trigger showers and thunderstorms early next week, most likely over the state's northern, central and eastern districts.
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The dry start to autumn in NSW comes after a relatively wet and mild summer this year.
The state as a whole just had its wettest and coolest summer in nine years. In fact, it was the first time NSW has seen a below-average mean summer maximum temperature since the 2011/12 season.
The Murray Darling Basin also registered its wettest summer in nine years.
Last season's welcome rain and lower daytime temperatures were a direct result of La Nina, which has been active in the Pacific Ocean since last September.
La Nina is a climate drive that causes more moisture-laden air to travel towards Australia from the Pacific Ocean.
This moisture boosts cloud cover and rainfall, and suppresses daytime heat in large areas of Australia.
La Nina is now weakening and will likely end at some time this autumn, however its suggested its impacts should still persist for at least the coming weeks.
Most of NSW has an increased chance of above-average rain and cooler-than-usual days as we head into autumn, especially in the first half of the season.
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