The Bureau of Meteorology has released its 2018-19 Summer Outlook today which predicts a hotter than normal summer.
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The Bureau's manager of long-range forecasting, Dr Andrew Watkins, said warmer than average days and nights are likely for almost all of Australia for December to February – which will also be true for the majority of NSW.
"Summer in Australia typically brings hot temperatures for many communities and the outlook indicates this summer will be no different," Dr Watkins said.
“In terms of temperatures it’s not looking very average at all, the odds are above 80 per cent for virtually the whole state of it being warmer than normal – both nighttime and daytime temperatures.”
He added that in terms of rainfall the next three months could be more normal.
“The outlook for NSW rainfall over summer is for not really a strong push towards either significantly wetter or drier conditions, hopefully a little closer to average," Dr Watkins said.
"Locally heavy rainfall events similar to what we have seen in New South Wales in the last two days are always a possibility during summer, no matter what the outlook is showing."
A “closer to average” summer will see the local region finish 2018 with significantly drier than normal.
The Mudgee Airport weather station is nearly 200mm behind its average January to November figure, 414.4mm in 2018 compared to the 604.2mm norm. It’s a similar year-to-date deficit at the Gulgong Post Office, 397.4mm versus the 578.7mm average.
While the Rylstone/Kandos weather station at Nullo Mountain is almost 300mm less than the average figure, 607.8mm so far at a location that has an average of 895.8mm by December.
The Bureau's spring summaries will be released on Monday, December 3, but preliminary figures show its likely to be one of the 10 warmest springs on record for the country as a whole.