Sydney and Jyväskylä see opposite extremes for August so far

Sydney and Jyväskylä have seen contrasting weather so far this August, and that's really how it should be considering the respective seasons. Jyväskylä's brilliant summer continued into the first 12 days of the month, while Sydney has seen some of the coldest days of this year.

The exceptional warmth at the start of the month can be clearly seen in the graph below which shows the progressive average maximum at Jyväskylä Airport for Augusts since 2009. The average maximum for this month peaked on August 7 at 27.4C. It has been declining since then as autumn draws closer, and after 18 days is almost exactly the same as the figure from 2010.

The average will continue to drop as the month continues, just like it did in 2010. Jyväskylä is unlikely to see any more days above 20C during the rest of the month. Due to a cold end to August 2010 and current forecasts that at least show maximums above 15C, August 2014 should be on track to record the highest average maximum in the years since 2009.

Progressive average maximum for August at Jyväskylä Airport for the period 2009-2014

Despite high maximums, and keeping in line with what was seen in July, minimums for Jyväskylä have been relatively low. After 18 days the average minimum sits as the third warmest since 2009, below 2010 and 2013. At the same point in August 2010, there had been 5 days with minimums above 15C. The highest so far this month is 13.6C, the lowest of the past 6 years. The average is likely to stabilise in the next week or so, probably on the way to an average between that of 2011 and 2013.

Progressive average minimum for August at Jyväskylä Airport for the period 2009-2014

If anyone in Sydney has been wondering whether it has been a cold August so far, then the answer is yes. The average maximum at August 19 is more than a degree lower than the next lowest figure from August 2010. After today, 2014 is also the only year since 2009 to have an progressive average below that of the all time average.

Current forecasts don't show any signs of spring arriving any time soon either. If the average maximum fails to go above 17.9C, as predictions suggest, August 2014 will have the coldest figure since 2008 and the second coldest since 1990.

Progressive average maximum for August at Sydney Airport for the period 2009-2014 plus the long term average

Despite having the lowest progressive average maximum, the minimum figure has climbed to almost equal with that of 2009. Only 2012 is lower. The figure is also well above the long term average. However, it is still more than 2C lower than 2011 and 2013.

2014 has seen the lowest August temperature since 2005, a 4.9C recording on the 3rd. After 19 days there have been 5 daily minimums above 10C, the same number as in 2010, and one more than in 2012. 2011 and 2013 had seen 10. Not surprisingly, current forecasts show the average minimum continuing to climb. It will probably end up quite close to 2010's figure.

Progressive average minimum for August at Sydney Airport for the period 2009-2014 plus the long term average