Large areas of NSW just had their coldest start to winter in decades amid a two-week procession of cold fronts across south-eastern Australia.
A series of slow-moving long-wave troughs caused a persistent stream of cold air over south-eastern Australia during the first two weeks of June. This weather pattern caused a prolonged run of below-average temperatures and cold blustery winds across NSW.
Dubbo failed to reach 14.5degrees Celsius during the first 14 days of June, making this their coldest first fortnight of winter in records dating back to 1921.
Canberra stayed below 13degC during the first 14 days of winter, its coldest start to the season since 1964.
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In Mudgee, the temperature only climbed as high as 14.5degC in the first fortnight of June, making this its coldest start to winter in records dating back to 1962.
Bourke's highest temperature in the first two weeks of winter was 18.5degC, making this their coldest start to the season since 1949.
And if the temperatures alone weren't enough to make everyone feel cold, frequent bursts of blustery winds have added a biting wind chill in the air over the past two to three weeks.
Fortunately, this wind also helped offset some of the increased energy demand being caused by the cold weather across southeastern Australia.
During the fortnight ending on June 12, wind produced around 17 to 18 per cent of the National Electricity Market's (NEM) total energy demand.
This is notably higher than usual, with wind typically contributing around 9pc to 13pc of the NEM's overall energy generation.
Looking ahead, NSW will enjoy a spell of slightly warmer weather during the rest of this week as air originating over central Australia drifts across the state.
Dubbo can look forward to maximum temperatures reaching around 17degC to 18degC by the weekend.
