Sydney climate — normals and trends
Sydney (Canada) has a warm-summer humid continental climate (Dfb) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 6.1 °C and it receives 1,270 mm of precipitation per year.
These figures are normals computed over 86 complete calendar years, from 1940 to 2025, using ERA5 reanalysis data from the Copernicus programme.
The warmest month is August (18.3 °C on average) and the coldest is February (-5.3 °C). Rainfall peaks in December.
Sydney averages 132 frost days, 0 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 145 rainy days per year.
Sydney has warmed by +1.6 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.18 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The number of frost days there went from about 140 to 124 per year over the period.
The hottest day of the period reached 30.5 °C (on 19 July 1975) and the coldest -25.9 °C (on 18 January 1982).
Data from ERA5 reanalysis (Copernicus Climate Change Service), redistributed under a CC-BY 4.0 licence. Normals are recomputed whenever the archive is updated.
Climate normals · ERA5
SydneyNova Scotia
- coords
- 46.14°, -60.18°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
6.1°C
Average daily high
9.0°C
Average daily low
3.5°C
Annual rainfall
1,270mm
Sunshine / day
7.7h
Mean relative humidity
80%
Average peak wind
25.4km/h
Seasonal range
23.6°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
132 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
0 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
145 d/yr
Annual snowfall
203.4 cm
Average feels-like high
5.8 °C
Average feels-like low
-0.7 °C
Average peak gust
44.8 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
1 d/yr
Solar radiation
12.7 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+1.6 °C
since 1940
+0.2 °C per decade · r² = 0.31 · p = < 0.001
Trend fitted by linear regression (ordinary least squares) on annual means. A trend is shown only when it is statistically significant (p < 0.05).
A climograph overlays rainfall (bars) and temperature (line): the standard reading in climatology, where you can see at a glance whether the warm season is also the dry one.
Records for the period
Hottest day
30.5 °C
19 July 1975
Coldest day
-25.9 °C
18 January 1982
Wettest day
113 mm
10 October 2016
Windiest day
69.6 km/h
24 September 2022
Strongest gust
132.1 km/h
24 January 1963
Hottest feels-like
33.5 °C
8 July 1952
Coldest feels-like
-36.2 °C
18 January 1982
Snowiest day
37.2 cm
4 February 2024
Sunniest day
15.6 h
14 June 1946
Normals computed over complete calendar years 1940–2025.
A specific year
Pick a year and see how it compares to normal — warmer, drier or more extreme than usual?
Across the whole year
Month by month
| High | vs. normal | Precipitation | vs. normal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 0.3 °C | +1.6 °C | 82 mm | -40 mm |
| Feb | -2.0 °C | +0.1 °C | 95 mm | -16 mm |
| Mar | 3.6 °C | +3.0 °C | 76 mm | -32 mm |
| Apr | 5.9 °C | +1.2 °C | 155 mm | +52 mm |
| May | 11.3 °C | +1.2 °C | 59 mm | -29 mm |
| Jun | 19.0 °C | +3.5 °C | 55 mm | -29 mm |
| Jul | 23.4 °C | +2.8 °C | 55 mm | -24 mm |
| Aug | 22.8 °C | +1.6 °C | 67 mm | -24 mm |
| Sep | 19.5 °C | +2.0 °C | 32 mm | -66 mm |
| Oct | 14.4 °C | +2.3 °C | 77 mm | -45 mm |
| Nov | 7.2 °C | +0.2 °C | 232 mm | +99 mm |
| Dec | 1.8 °C | 0.0 °C | 139 mm | +6 mm |
The year's extremes
What was the weather like that day?
Your birthday, a wedding, a memorable trip: discover the actual weather for any date since 1940.
Frequently asked questions
What is the climate of Sydney?
Sydney has a warm-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 6.1 °C and it receives 1,270 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Sydney?
The hottest day measured in Sydney between 1940 and 2025 was 19 July 1975, reaching 30.5 °C.
What is the coldest day in Sydney?
The coldest day measured in Sydney between 1940 and 2025 was 18 January 1982, at -25.9 °C.
Does it snow in Sydney?
Yes. Sydney gets on average 203.4 cm of snow per year and has around 132 frost days.
Has the climate of Sydney warmed?
Yes: Sydney warmed by +1.6 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Sydney?
The wettest day measured in Sydney between 1940 and 2025 was 10 October 2016, with 113 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Sydney?
The windiest day measured in Sydney between 1940 and 2025 was 24 September 2022, with winds reaching 69.6 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Sydney?
The warmest month in Sydney is August (18.3 °C on average); the coldest is February (-5.3 °C).
How much does it rain in Sydney?
Sydney receives on average 1,270 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 145 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Sydney?
Sydney gets on average 7.7 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 2,811 hours per year over 1940-2025.
What is the biggest single-day snowfall in Sydney?
The heaviest 24-hour snowfall measured in Sydney between 1940 and 2025 was 4 February 2024, with 37.2 cm.
Are there tropical nights in Sydney?
Yes: Sydney has on average 1 tropical nights per year (temperature staying above 20 °C), over 1940-2025.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Sydney?
In Sydney, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 33.5 °C on 8 July 1952, and the lowest was -36.2 °C on 18 January 1982.
Compare Sydney with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Sydney