Like many other places in southeastern Australia, Canberra saw an unseasonably warm July, particularly during the day, experiencing its warmest July on record. The average daytime maximum averaged 13.4 degrees, the warmest on record, beating the previous highest of 13.2 set in 1993 and two degrees above the long-term average. In fact, over 80% of all days exceeded the average July maximum. Nights were also milder than usual, averaging 1.7 degrees, almost two degrees above average and the sixth warmest on record. The warm days and mild nights meant that the combined temperature in Canberra for July was 7.5 degrees, an all-time record. The warm winter so far has been caused by a significant lack of cold fronts, a persistent region of high pressure, and warmer than average sea surface temperatures around the nation. The mercury will drop closer to average over the weekend as a cold front sweeps through, although it will begin to become warmer again from the start of the working week.