While other capital cities across Australia have had sweltering January temperatures, Canberra—the nation’s capital—has been moderate. Perth, the capital of Western Australia, and Adelaide, the capital of South Australia, had 35C-40C temperatures for much of January.
The Bureau of Meteorology recorded a mild January for Canberra. Canberra’s daytime temperature ranged from 18.6 to 34.7C. There was no single day over 35C – it is usual to have 6 days on average with temperatures over 35C in January. The average was 27.4C, just half a degree below its historical average of 28C. Canberra’s night time temperature averaged 12.4C, below its historical average of 13.3C. Its coldest night was a mere 1.6C on January 12, which was the coldest January minimum in 56 years - since 1956.
Therefore there were few highs and few lows (with one extreme exception) in Canberra with January temperatures remaining moderate and mild. This was due to the lack of north-easterly winds bringing warm air from Central Australia. Instead, the wind was easterly, bringing cooler air than usual. It has also been a dry January. The average rainfall for January in Canberra is a mere 58.5mm, but it was even drier with only half the average rainfall at just 30mm.
Sydney, on the other hand, recorded its wettest January in 11 years and the coldest one in 12 years. Sydney recorded 139mm of rain last month, exceeding the long term average of 101mm. January also had 13 rainy days compared to the average of 12. The average minimum temperature for the month was 19.6C and the average maximum was 26.1C, also making it the coldest January in 12 years. The wet, mild start to the year follows Sydney's coldest December in 51 years, which puts Sydney on track to record one of its coldest summers in recent decades.
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