High humidity and warm nights in Sydney
Tristan Meyers,
Tuesday February 24, 2015 - 12:55 AEDT
The last sixteen nights have been sticky and humid for Sydney, with temperatures struggling to dip below 20 degrees since the 9th February.
In this time, Sydney-siders have sweated through the nights, where the average minimum temperature has been over 2.5 degrees warmer than the February average. In fact, this is the longest stretch above 20 degrees since 2010.
The most dominant synoptic feature this time was a high pressure ridge extending along the east of NSW. The ridge directed moist winds onshore, causing isolated showers along the coasts. It also fed more and more moisture inland, creating high levels of humidity. This humidity was most noticeable during the night, where heat was "trapped" by the extra moisture in the air.
Higher than average sea surface temperatures off southeastern Australia has also contributed to the high levels of moisture in this dominant easterly flow.
Aside from pausing your fan's rotation so the air hits nothing but your face while you sleep, residents of Sydney should hope for a strong southerly change. These are famous for drying out the Sydney Basin and cooling down the city. Although a brief change has come through today bringing some slight relief, a proper gusty southerly is looking to move up the east coast of New South Wales around next Sunday evening.
- Weatherzone
© Weatherzone
2015