13/07/2011: A sunny 19 degrees one day, a gloomy 12 the next - only once in the last 15 years has a Sydney day so warm been followed by one so cold, according to weatherzone.com.au.

If it doesn't warm anymore between now and the morning, this has been a rare pair of days. By 4pm today it had only reached 12.1 degrees, after getting to 18.9 yesterday.

"Only once in the last 15 years has a colder day followed one so warm. That was in August 2008, when an 11.9-degree day followed a 20-degree one. In more than 150 years of records there have only been 11 occurrences in total, so you could call this a once-in-15-year event," Weatherzone meteorologist Brett Dutschke said.

Sydney did have an equally cold day in July last year, so along with that day, this is the coldest July day in eight years.

The city's maximum temperature of 12.1 degrees is four below the average maximum for this time of year. For some western suburbs, it was even colder, only reaching nine in Richmond and 10 in Penrith, both eight below average and their coldest day in at least 15 years.

Thankfully the wind hasn't been that strong today, so it only felt a degree-or-two colder with wind chill.

But if you did think today was cold, spare a thought for Harbour City residents back in July 1868, when heating was less effective. The maximum temperature was 7.7, officially Sydney's coldest day on record.

"The good news for those begging for a little more warmth, tomorrow will be a noticeably brighter and warmer. Not as warm as yesterday, but reaching the mid-teens, pretty close to average," Dutschke said.

"The following few days will warm a bit more as winds turn from westerly to easterly. These easterlies will be blowing off relatively warm waters, where sea surface temperatures are about 19 degrees. However this wind direction means cloud will redevelop and so will showers, so it won't warm up a lot."

Sydney is forecast highs of 19 degrees early next week. Most of the coming nights will also stay two-to-five degrees above the July average, with help from the cloud.

Media Inquiries:

Brett Dutschke
media@weatherzone.com.au
02 9965 9269

About Weatherzone:

Weatherzone is Australia's most popular commercial meteorological resource, supplying weather information to most of Australia's major television broadcasters and websites. www.weatherzone.com.au has been developed by a team of world class meteorologists and features user friendly, up-to-the minute access to weather across the country.

If you wish to opt out from future messages, send a reply email with the subject UNSUBSCRIBE, or click here.