page_title: Climate of Sydney
section_title: Precipitation
hierarchical_section_title: Climate of Sydney / Precipitation
caption_attribution_description: English: Waimea Road, Lindfield, New South Wales, Australia.
context_page_description: 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 half of the year and is at its lowest in the second half. Precipitation varies across the region, with areas adjacent to the coast being the wettest. The city receives around 20 thunderstorms per year.
  Sydney has 109.5 clear days and 127.2 cloudy days annually, with the monthly percent possible sunshine ranging from 53% in January to 72% in August. Sydney's heat is predominantly dry in spring, but usually humid in the summertime, especially late summer – However, when temperatures soar over 35 °C, the humidity is generally low as such high temperatures are brought by searing winds from the Australian desert. On some hot summer days, low pressure troughs increase humidity and southerly busters decrease temperatures by late afternoon or early evening.
context_section_description: Rainfall is fairly evenly spread through the year, with moderate to low variability, though it is slightly higher during the first half of the year when easterly winds dominate (February–June) and lower in the second half (mainly July–September). Due to the unpredictability of rain, the wettest and driest months would change on a yearly basis. Within the city and surrounds, rainfall varies, from around 700 mm (27.56 in) at Badgerys Creek (in the west) to 1,400 mm (55.12 in) at Turramurra (the northeast).
  Even in its months of highest rainfall, Sydney has relatively few rainy days, with an average mean of 7 to 8 rainy days per month on the 1 mm (0.04 in) threshold, despite having a moderate to high amount of annual rainfall at around 800 mm (31.50 in) to 1,100 mm (43.31 in) (depending on the area) – This illustrates that Sydney generally receives short-lived, heavy rainfall day events, usually not lasting more than 2 or 3 days, which give away to mostly propitious conditions for many weeks to months even, especially during an El Niño period (though during a La Niña event, rainfall may be intermittent for many days or weeks).
  Rain hours are longer in the winter than in the summer, with rainfall lingering on for the whole day. In some days, rain may come in drizzle form, though this is rare as most rain comes mostly from major storms. In the warm months, rain comes in short heavy downpours in the afternoons, usually cooling the conditions and providing some respite. Sometimes these afternoon showers give away to the sun again, although black nor'easters may provide rainfall for a few consecutive days. 
  Sydney experiences east coast lows, which usually strike between the months of May and August (though they can occur in other months as well). The precipitation of the low comes from a nimbostratus cloud that would dump as much as 70 mm (2.76 in) of rain for as much as two days, with the CBD getting higher precipitation amount. Also in winter, thanks to onshore winds and Sydney's coastal proximity, the CBD would be susceptible to some light rain and drizzle – These conditions usually don't penetrate the inland suburbs. However, the western suburbs are more inclined to have heavy rain and thunder in the summer.
  The city is rarely affected by cyclones, although remnants of ex-cyclones do affect the city. The city is prone to severe hail storms, such as the 1947 Sydney hailstorm, wind storms, and flash flooding from rain caused either by East Coast Lows (such as the major storm in early June 2007) or ex-tropical cyclone remnants. East Coast Lows are low pressure depressions that can bring significant damage by heavy rain, cyclonic winds and huge swells. Scientists have predicted that rainfall will become more unpredictable and temperatures will be on the rise. 
  The annual evaporation rate for Sydney is 1,600 mm (62.99 in), with the rate in the summer being 600 mm (23.62 in) and in winter 300 mm (11.81 in).
caption: Due to their elevation, the Northern Suburbs and The Hills Shire create an orographic rainfall, making them wetter and cooler than the rest of the Sydney Basin.[80]
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