Sydney has had its coolest start to November in nine years, but a brief surge of warm air from the northwest should bring the warmest temperatures of the month to date later this afternoon.

• In the first 18 days of November, Sydney's average maximum temperature was 23.56°C.
• That means the running average for the month to date is currently below the monthly average max of 23.7°C (although it will likely end up warmer than that, as the month generally heats up as we trend towards summer).
• The last time the first 18 days were cooler was in 2012, when the average max for the first 18 days was 23.52°C.
• The hottest day to date in November 2021 was 26.1°C on the 7th. October had three days above 30°C, with a hottest day of 33.0°C on the 29th. Even September topped 30°C on one day.

Image: It's about to warm up in Sydney... briefly. Source: @Walkerssk via Pixabay.

In Sydney this morning, it didn't feel like a day that would turn out be the hottest of the month to date. While it was a balmy 20°C at 7 am, the temp has hovered around that level for much of the morning, and indeed was just 19.9°C at 10:30 am as we write this story.

But if, as expected, high cloud clears the Sydney region by lunchtime, the afternoon should warm fairly rapidly and temps look like they'll peak as high as 28°C.

So enjoy it if you live in Sydney and manage to get outside this afternoon, as the weekend ahead looks soggy.

A shower or thunderstorm can be expected this evening, followed by more frequent showers on Saturday, again more likely in the evening.

Sunday looks like a bit of a shocker to be frank, with steady rain and heavy falls possible.

As Weatherzone meteorologist Ben Domensino has written in this story, it’s all part of a system which is set to deliver rain, severe thunderstorms and strong for parts of NSW, QLD, VIC and SA in the coming days, including already flooded catchments in Central West NSW.

As ever, stay up to date with our weather warnings here.