MOST of NSW will be dry and relatively warm during the Easter long weekend as a high pressure ridge sweeps over the state.
This well-timed high pressure ridge will sit across NSW and Queensland between now and early next week, providing a break from the relentless rain that has plagued some parts of eastern Australia state in recent weeks.
Last month, 85 weather stations in NSW registered their wettest March on record.
At least 11 of these weather stations have been collecting observations for more than 100 years.
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Most of last month's record-breaking rain fell along the cost and ranges, although many inland districts also recorded near-to-above average rain in March.
When averaged out across the state, rainfall in NSW was 74.5 per cent above the long-term average for March.
With so much water still sitting in the landscape, a dry Easter long weekend will come as a welcome change for many communities and farms that have been affected by flooding in recent weeks.
It should also help industries that rely on holiday visitors, as they continue to recover from the compounding impact of fires, floods and the COVID pandemic.
The dry long weekend will also make life a bit easier for anybody operating at or attending the Sydney Royal Show.
Temperatures are likely to reach the low-to-high twenties across most of eastern NSW throughout the long weekend.
In the west, the mercury will push into the high-twenties and low-thirties as a bit of warmer air drifts in from central Australia.
Looking more broadly, Australia's weather is still being influenced by La Nina in the Pacific Ocean.
So, while NSW is currently in a dry weather pattern, La Nina will continue to increase the likelihood of above average rain over the next couple of months.
Most forecast models expect La Nina to end in May or June.
There are also early signs that a negative Indian Ocean Dipole could start to emerge in the Indian Ocean in the coming months.
While this is still very much up in the air, it is worth keeping an eye on as we approach winter.
A negative IOD typically enhances rainfall over western NSW in winter and spring.
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