Sydney is inching closer and closer to changing the record books – but not in a way that anyone will be celebrating.
Usually at this time of year, Sydney would have received around 100mm of rain in any given three week period. But today is Sydney’s 24th consecutive day without any rain. The record dry spell for this time of year – 25 days – was set in 2002 and 1962. If there is no rain in the next 48 hours, a new record will be set, making this the longest early winter dry spell in the 156 years that records have been kept.
And with no rain likely until Sunday at the earliest, Sydney is on target to smash the record.
So what makes this winter different to previous years? Sydney’s weathermen are pointing to a lack of moisture in the atmosphere and the bitter strength of the recent cold fronts.
During the last few weeks, our winds have generally been coming from the west, across the continent, meaning that they have not picked up any of the moisture that is usually sourced when the winds blow across the ocean. This is largely due to the strong cold fronts crossing south-eastern Australia, which have delivered a fair amount of rain to western New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia, not to mention plenty of snow drops in alpine areas.
With at least one more strong cold front on the way, Sydney’s winds will continue to come in from the west. Since very little moisture makes it east of the Great Dividing Range, Sydney residents will get the chance to enjoy some sunny winter days – and endure some freezing winter nights.
The unseasonal lack of rain, combined with the strong, drying winds, has caused a fall in dam levels across the region. Dam level deficiencies are at critically low levels across much of New South Wales, including the far west, far north and much of the coast.
Early next week should see some moisture flowing in from the tropics, bringing some much-needed significant rain falls to Sydney and most of northern and eastern NSW. Sydneysiders will breathe a collective sigh of relief to see their dams and water tank levels begin to rise again.
One smart way to avoid being affected by extended dry spells is to increase your rainwater storage capacity. Modular water tank systems make it easy to add to your storage volume and ensure that you can continue to provide your family with the level of comfort that they are used to, even if there is an unexpected dry spell. Since the weather doesn’t give us much warning before a dry spell, you’re much better off being prepared well in advance.
Making sure that your water supply is ready for anything is a very wise move – talk to Supatank today to discuss your options.