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But generally speaking, oceanic climates are New Zealand, Seattle etc.. Sydney is no where like them..
Sydney should be classified as Subtropical climate
Although Sydney has very cool summers for a subtropical climate IMO (temperate climates like NYC have warmer summers)…I agree in a genetic sense Sydney seems much more like a humid subtropical climate than a temperate oceanic climate like Seattle or London. There are frequent hot and humid days in summer with high dew points in Sydney, there are bouts of heavy summer thunderstorms in Sydney, and there is even some slight tropical cyclone threat in Sydney. For the most part – those are not common weather elements in high latitude oceanic climates like London or Seattle.
Sydney has a Cfa climate not a Cfb climate. Its mean temps in January and February are 22.3C, just high enough to qualify. The weather station used (Observatory Hill) is also on the water and closer to the coast than a significant portion of Sydney. Areas of western Sydney are considerably hotter in the summer as well, so it is without a doubt Cfa as a whole.
That said, I consider Sydney to be the boundary between Cfb and Cfa, at least along the coast.
Ah, then it does qualify as Cfa. Still my general point stands - it is borderline in any case and is certainly not your prototypical Cfa or Cfb climate. Of course next to the shore and inland there are differences but the data you have at that locale shows Cfa. Being that marginal I also imagine there are differences based on what time period the averages were taken in. Likely something like 1961-1990 normals would be a tad cooler than, say, the 1981-2010 normals, thus making the difference between Cfa and Cfb.
Every thirty year period at the Observatory Hill (station opened in 1858, 30 year cycles start from 1861) show a mean temperature in the warmest month of 22C or higher, with a general warming trend over the years. The period 1981-2010 saw a mean temperature over both January and February of 23.1C, the only areas that probably fall below the cut-off now are areas which are in the very near vicinity of both Sydney Harbour and the coast ie. Rose Bay, Vaucluse.
Coupled with mild winters, Sydney seems to intuitively be a fairly solid subtropical climate even if the summer temperatures make it look somewhat marginal.
Every thirty year period at the Observatory Hill (station opened in 1858, 30 year cycles start from 1861) show a mean temperature in the warmest month of 22C or higher, with a general warming trend over the years. The period 1981-2010 saw a mean temperature over both January and February of 23.1C, the only areas that probably fall below the cut-off now are areas which are in the very near vicinity of both Sydney Harbour and the coast ie. Rose Bay, Vaucluse.
Coupled with mild winters, Sydney seems to intuitively be a fairly solid subtropical climate even if the summer temperatures make it look somewhat marginal.
Interesting to see just how much hotter inland areas are.
Electrical storms are also common in Sydney. Cfb climates aren't particularly known for their lightning storms. Sydney's climate is definitely interesting though.
Every thirty year period at the Observatory Hill (station opened in 1858, 30 year cycles start from 1861) show a mean temperature in the warmest month of 22C or higher, with a general warming trend over the years. The period 1981-2010 saw a mean temperature over both January and February of 23.1C, the only areas that probably fall below the cut-off now are areas which are in the very near vicinity of both Sydney Harbour and the coast ie. Rose Bay, Vaucluse.
Coupled with mild winters, Sydney seems to intuitively be a fairly solid subtropical climate even if the summer temperatures make it look somewhat marginal.
I can certainly vouch that summer days is usually much cooler at Bondi than in the CBD and certainly much windier too.
I would not go as far as describing Sydney’s climate as sub-tropical though, the humidity lingers around for approx. three months then it is, thankfully, gone.
Personally, I would describe the climate here as temperate/cool-warm humid with very few varying (on the coast that is) extremes in terms of temperatures and being more variable where cloudiness and wetness is involved.
With an average per annum total of over 1220mm / 48.0” falling, rain is mostly reliable around late summer/autumn and normally unreliable (Yuk) during spring.
It can be very changeable – just like Melbourne which pronounces spring as its “wet” season if it does happen that is - and rain here is much more prolonged/heavier (after all Sydney gets double Melbourne’s annual rainfall) and there are dramatic drops in temperatures following southerly busters in which I haven’t seen much of this summer due to the lovely lack of horrible westerlies.
The wind from the south can feel very cold when a low sweeps directly by heading towards NZ dragging a cold and wet southerly flow in its wake.
As for winter, the dry and icy cold westerly feels very bitterly cold (wind chill factor) and I would rather have a cloudy and showery southerly blowing than an icy and cold sunny westerly bellowing its guts out! When the winter westerly does blow, it is a very unpleasant wind, it just shrieks, roars and screams and I absolutely hate it.
USE CAUTION when using Observatory Hill values which is now coming under much scrutiny due to its persistently high temperatures - especially where the last two months are concerned – and that all but the former recorded cooler than usual temperatures. In addition, the airport site is being called into question too due to the large amount of heat radiating away from runway paths to Stevenson Screens - as rumour has it - especially during W-NW-N periods.
I believe that the airport site represents actual temperatures when S-SE conditions prevail and the city from the N - NE. In addition, the Observatory Hill site is located on the “north-facing” side of the hill - approaching the Harbour Bridge from the south –, which is reputed to have “overcooked” temperatures. Several qualified meteorologists / statisticians have queried values from this site especially over the last decade.
According to this map, the UHI effect in the CBD is certainly showing up with the differentials showing (in terms of colour - red warm and blue cool) quite well: http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/e...ry7-lowres.jpg
As for winter, the dry and icy cold westerly feels very bitterly cold (wind chill factor) and I would rather have a cloudy and showery southerly blowing than an icy and cold sunny westerly bellowing its guts out! When the winter westerly does blow, it is a very unpleasant wind, it just shrieks, roars and screams and I absolutely hate it.
Icy cold and Sydney together sounds very strange to me.
You would need to be here to experience it. Words cannot describe it clearly, that westerly wind is bloody bitingly cold and freezing. 5C here can feel like -1 or -2 depending on the strength of the wind. Some western suburb sites have recorded as low as -8C. I go to work wearing a pair of jeans, t-shirt, two jumpers, two jackets, scarf, balaclava and woolen gloves which is why I hate that bloody westerly. If it were a southerly or SE then I am fine with it.
You would need to be here to experience it. Words cannot describe it clearly, that westerly wind is bloody bitingly cold and freezing. 5C here can feel like -1 or -2 depending on the strength of the wind. Some western suburb sites have recorded as low as -8C. I go to work wearing a pair of jeans, t-shirt, two jumpers, two jackets, scarf, balaclava and woolen gloves which is why I hate that bloody westerly. If it were a southerly or SE then I am fine with it.
Eh. A sweater and a decent winter coast is fine for me for weather around freezing unless I'm out in it frequently. Right now it's 0°C with wind chill -3°C.
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