The Bureau of Meteorology [BOM] this week released its Annual Climate Statement for 2018, which showed 10 heat records broken or equalled between the BOM’s three local weather stations.
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2018 was the equal warmest on record for Mudgee for both mean temperature and mean maximum temperature with 16.4°C and 24.1°C respectively matching the highest set in 2017.
While Gulgong’s annual mean daily maximum temperature of 25°C was a new record, eclipsing the old mark by 0.1 of a degree set in 2006.
The Rylstone/Kandos area’s weather station at Nullo Mountain didn’t see any annual records broken, but like the other two locations it had a number of new monthly benchmarks set.
2018 at the local sites were true of NSW as a whole, which was the warmest on record for the state. And it was Australia's third-warmest.
Bureau senior climatologist Dr Lynette Bettio said Australia's average temperature in 2018 was 1.14 °C above the 1961–1990 average, making it slightly warmer than 2017.
"When we look across all of Australia in 2018, we can see that every single state and territory had above-average day and night-time temperatures," Dr Bettio said.
"The average maximum temperature for the country as a whole was particularly warm, sitting 1.55 °C above the 1961–1990 average, making 2018 Australia's second warmest year on record for daily high temperatures.
"Average minimum temperatures for 2018 were 0.73 °C above average, the eleventh-warmest on record.
"The only part of the country to buck the trend for above average temperatures was the Kimberley region, which had cooler than average nights for the year."
When we look across all of Australia in 2018, we can see that every single state and territory had above-average day and night-time temperatures.
- Dr Lynette Bettio
The 2018 results mean nine of the 10 warmest years on record have occurred since 2005.
Rain however hasn’t necessarily been breaking any records in the region recently with recorded levels down across the board.
In terms of rainfall, all three of the Mid-Western Region’s weather stations received around three-quarters of their annual average recorded amounts.
Which although significantly down, wasn’t as dry as some parts of the country which saw some of the lowest totals in nearly 15 years.
MUDGEE AIRPORT WEATHER STATION
- [equal] record highest annual mean temperature;
- [equal] record highest annual mean daily maximum temperature;
- record highest monthly mean maximum temperature for January;
- record highest monthly mean minimum temperature for April;
- record highest monthly minimum temperature for January.
GULGONG POST OFFICE WEATHER STATION
- record highest annual mean daily maximum temperature;
- record highest monthly mean maximum temperature for April;
- record highest monthly mean minimum temperature for April;
- record highest monthly temperature for July;
- record highest monthly minimum temperature for May.
NULLO MOUNTAIN WEATHER STATION
- record highest monthly mean maximum temperature for January;
- record highest monthly mean maximum temperature for July;
- record highest monthly mean minimum temperature for January;
- record highest monthly minimum temperature for April.
