Climate Change Chart of Sydney, Australia

Overview of climate changes

Temperature changes

Averaged across calendar months, monthly mean temperature shows a difference of +0.92 °C. This is an unweighted comparison of monthly means, not a day-weighted annual average, and it describes the overall comparison rather than a change in every month. The clearest monthly rise was in July, with a difference of +1.88 °C; the largest decrease was in November, at -0.03 °C. These are monthly mean temperatures, not daytime maxima, and they show that the size and direction of the period differences varied by month.

Changes in rainfall

Mean daily rainfall averaged across calendar months had a difference of +0.72 mm/day. This unweighted mean of monthly figures is not a day-weighted annual average, and it does not mean that rainfall increased in every month. The largest monthly increase occurred in March, with a difference of +3.26 mm/day, while December recorded the largest decrease, at -0.18 mm/day. These figures describe mean daily rainfall rather than monthly totals, so they should not be read as changes in accumulated rainfall for an entire month.

Changes in sunshine duration

Mean daily sunshine duration averaged across calendar months had a difference of -0.05 hours/day. This unweighted comparison of monthly means summarizes the periods as a whole; it does not imply the same change in each month. The largest increase was in February, with a difference of +0.35 hours/day, whereas March had the largest decrease, at -0.58 hours/day. Together, these monthly differences show contrasting shifts in daily sunshine duration, while the mean difference remains a summary across calendar months rather than a day-weighted annual measure.