Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Canberra Times
The Canberra Times
Sara Garrity

ACT temperatures almost 2 degrees warmer than average in July: BOM

The warmer and drier than average weather is likely to continue, experts said. Picture by Keegan Carroll

The ACT's average maximum temperature was around 2 degrees hotter than usual for the month of July, with just a third of the regular amount of rainfall, the Bureau of Meteorology has revealed.

Records were broken at different weather stations. Tuggeranong recorded the highest July average maximum temperature on record at 14.7 degrees, while Canberra Airport's average of 14.5, beating the long term average by 1.8 degrees, was also the highest ever recorded at the site.

The warmest recorded day was at the Canberra Airport on the 29th, with a maximum of 18.1 degrees.

Average minimum temperatures stayed within the average for the month however. The warmest nighttime temperature reached 7.4 degrees, with the lowest a freezing -5.9.

Canberra Airport also only recorded 10 millimetres of rain, which was well below the long-term average, senior climatologist at the BOM Hugh McDowell said.

Despite the records and the changes from average, he said these weather conditions were expected.

"Our long-range forecast has been highlighting warmer than average weather, or at least a high likelihood of warmer than average temperatures for quite some time now, into this winter and spring," he said.

"As we go into spring, there's at least an 80 per cent chance, and likely higher, that we will be staying above the mean maximum temperatures and minimum temperatures as well.

"We're also likely to see drier than average conditions continue. For August until October, it's about a 75 per cent chance to rise above average conditions.

"We're likely to see drier than average weather and very likely to see warmer than average weather over the coming months."

Canberrans can expect a "mixed bag" of temperatures heading into next week, Mr McDowell said.

The relatively warm weather will continue on Friday, with a high of 18 expected and light winds turning to 20 to 30kmh in the evening.

Rain will arrive just in time for the weekend, and maximum temperatures will drop to 15 with a 70 per cent chance of rain on Saturday.

Sunday will be a similar day, with a maximum of 15 expected, but only a 20 per cent chance of rain.

Monday will be the last colder day, with a minimum of -1 degrees eventually reaching an expected maximum temperature of 16.

A maximum of 17 degrees on Tuesday will warm things up, but the day is expected to start with a minimum of 0 degrees.

The rain may return on Wednesday with a 30 per cent chance of falling, but an otherwise partly cloudy day with strong winds increasing is expected to reach a warm maximum of 18 degrees.

We've made it a whole lot easier for you to have your say. Our new comment platform requires only one log-in to access articles and to join the discussion on The Canberra Times website. Find out how to register so you can enjoy civil, friendly and engaging discussions. See our moderation policy here.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.