What is Climate of Sydney?

The climate of Sydney is humid subtropical , shifting from mild and cool in winter to warm and hot in the summer, with no extreme seasonal differences as the weather is moderated by proximity to the ocean, although more contrasting temperatures are recorded in the inland western suburbs. Despite the fact that there is no distinct dry or wet season, rainfall peaks in the first few months of the year and is at its lowest just around the middle of the year, though precipitation can be erratic throughout the year. Precipitation varies across the region, with areas adjacent to the coast being the wettest. According to the Bureau of Meteorology, Sydney falls in the temperate climate zone which has warm to hot summers and no dry season. Sydney's plant hardiness zone ranges from zone 11a to 9b throughout the metropolitan area.

Sydney has 109.5 clear days and 127.2cloudy days annually, though it would have over 300 days of visible sunshine if one would count partly cloudy days or sunny breaks. Overall, Sydney has just about 66% of possible sun for Jun-Aug and around 54% for Dec-Feb, making winter sunnier than summer on average. Sydney's heat is predominantly dry in spring, but usually humid in the summertime. On some hot summer days, low pressure troughs increase humidity and southerly busters decrease temperatures by late afternoon or early evening. In the warm season, particularly late summer and early autumn, troughs combined with a humid air mass can bring large amounts of rainfall, and in late autumn to early winter, the city can be affected by east coast lows. When the subtropical ridge is north of Sydney in late winter to early spring, the wind would come from the west or inland. As the ridge moves south in summer and autumn, the winds become easterly.

Sydney experiences an urban heat island effect, making certain parts of the city more vulnerable to extreme heat, particularly the west. Efforts have been introduced to investigate and mitigate this heat effect, including increasing shade from tree canopies, adding rooftop gardens to high rise structures and changing pavement colour. The El Niño Southern Oscillation, the Indian Ocean Dipole and the Southern Annular Mode play an important role in determining Sydney's weather patterns: drought and bushfire on the one hand, and storms and flooding on the other. Sydney is prone to heat waves and drought, which have become more common in the 21st century. Furthermore, the region of Sydney, and as well as the rest of the New South Wales coastline, is warmed by the East Australian Current.