Hot day in Sydney, windy and slightly warmer in Jyväskylä

Summery weather arrived in Sydney today in slightly unexpected fashion. Forecasts yesterday had predicted tops around 28C for today, but temperatures across the city rose above 33C. Sydney Airport recorded the highest temperature in the Sydney region with a top of 33.5C just after 2:30pm. All other stations topped 30C.

Surprisingly, the Airport's maximum today is the third highest temperature seen this year. Currently the highest maximum for 2014 is the 36.8C recording from January 2. That is the only day to have surpassed 35C so far. Since 2009, only 2012 hadn't seen more than one day above 35C by the end of September. 2011 had seen six. The second hottest day so far this year is February 26 when it reached 34.9C, making today the warmest in just over seven months.

The weekend saw a cooler day on Saturday with a top of only 20.3C at the Airport, but Sunday warmed up to 24.3C. Minimums were comfortably above 10C.

If we look at Bureau of Meteorology records for the Airport, we find that today was actually the 11th warmest September day since the records began in 1939. Tomorrow is forecast to reach a similar temperature as seen today, but a weak southerly change later in the evening will mean that October should start off fairly cool. Maximums of 21C to 23C are then expected for the remainder of the working week.

On the back of a recovery in temperatures late last week, Jyväskylä saw a reasonably comfortable autumn weekend. Maximums for both Saturday and Sunday reached around 13C. Minimums were up on the previous week also. After Friday's 5.1C minimum, Saturday and Sunday both held temperatures above 5C. That was the first three day period above the mark in almost two weeks.

Today has been a bit warmer still. It has gotten above 14C, but appears to have fallen short of 15C. In the years between 2009 and 2013, no days beyond September 30 went above 15C.

Autumn colours in Jyväskylä's suburb of Mäki-Matti on September 29

It was quite windy this afternoon across Central Finland. Gusts at Tikkakoski were recorded around the 15m/s mark (54km/h). These were some of the strongest gusts seen for quite some time. A few isolated showers also rolled west just north of the city. Tikkakoski recorded 0.4mm between 4pm and 5pm.

The weather outlook for Jyväskylä for the next week or so looks to be fairly stable. Partly cloudy, and dry conditions are expected along with maximums between 8C and 12C. Wednesday is currently the only day tipped to dip below zero until early next week.

Storms hit Sydney, more typical autumn weather for Jyväskylä

Sydney Airport recorded its warmest minimum yesterday in almost four months. The warmth seen on Wednesday led to rather warm overnight temperatures as it barely dropped below 18C in the early hours of September 25. A change late in the day, however, dropped the mercury to the daily low of 15.9C. Storms and showers also arrived along with the southerly change.

Wednesday September 24 recorded the second warmest temperature of the month so far. The 25.7C maximum was only the third above 25C this month. Yesterday was still fairly warm also with a top of 24.0C.

The Bureau of Meteorology issued a storm warning for the Sydney region yesterday afternoon as several isolated concentrations of very heavy rain and small hail made their way east across the city.

Despite the menacing appearance of the storm clouds, rainfall totals weren't especially high. The Airport recorded a total of 4.4mm yesterday. In fact, rainfall across the Sydney region was fairly evenly distributed. The highest total, 8.4mm, was seen at Terrey Hills. Penrith in the west, Camden and Sydney Olympic Park each recorded 6.6mm. Observatory Hill only saw 2.0mm. The Airport's total was the highest daily figure in just over two weeks.

Today was much cooler in Sydney. Temperatures at the Airport only reached 18.9C, while Observatory Hill was a little warmer at 21.7C.

The view near Sydney's Central Station on the afternoon of September 25
Source: Imgur

A lightning strike in Sydney's CBD
Source: Imgur

Tuesday's very cold day in Jyväskylä, of which the 3.0C maximum was the lowest seen since April 1, almost five months ago, has given way to a gradual increase in daytime temperatures up until today. September 24's maximum of 5.9C, however, was still the fifth lowest since at least 2009. The 24th also saw another 1.5mm added to the monthly rainfall total.

Yesterday's minimum of -1.6C was the lowest seen this month and the coldest since May 15, but it rose to 8.8C by the late afternoon. Temperatures this morning remained above 5C and they climbed above 12C just after 3pm.

Rain is currently moving in from the west and should reach Jyväskylä around 9pm this evening. Yesterday was dry but 0.2mm was already recorded early this morning at Tikkakoski.

Temperatures drop throughout Finland as rain and snow arrives

The cold change that was due to hit Finland arrived late on Sunday night. The change had been predicted since as early as the start of last week and the arrival of northerly winds for the first time in quite a while led to sharp temperature drops throughout the country. Rain and even snow has been seen in the south also.

Jyväskylä saw temperatures hold steady around 10C in the early hours of September 22, but the tripling of wind speed between 4am and 5am saw it drop to around 5C by 8am. While temperatures at this level at that time of the day have been seen in the recent weeks, it was what happened in the following hours that was different, as the graph below shows.

Temperature readings at Jyväskylä Airport from 3pm September 21 until 2:30pm September 23
Source: Finnish Meteorological Institute

In contrast to earlier this September, and actually not since June, temperatures failed to climb during the day. They only dropped further and it was below 4C by 3pm. 

With a maximum of only 3.0C, today was the coldest September day at least in the years since 2009. This is more than 2C lower than the previous lowest. The coldest September day since 2009 had been recorded last year on the 25th. It only reached as high as 5.3C then. The 29th and 30th of 2013 managed tops of 5.4C. Of the other four years (2009-2012), the lowest maximum was 7.2C in 2012, coincidentally recorded also on September 25.

Jyväskylä's chance at recording its driest September on record was quickly washed away in the three hours between 11pm Sunday and 2am Monday. Up until 10pm on September 21, only 1.7mm had been recorded at Tikkakoski since the start of the month. Those three hours, however, accounted for 10.7mm, leaving the all time record of 8.8mm from 1901 safe for now.

Yesterday afternoon saw fairly consistent measurements of just under 1mm per hour from 2pm to 7pm. That led to a total of 13.2mm yesterday, pushing the monthly total to 16.9mm. The 1981-2010 average of 38mm still seems a fair way off, but more rain is forecast later this week.

Jyväskylä also managed to avoid most of the precipitation associated with a trough that had been slowly moving east across Southern Finland. Precipitation mostly fell as rain in Jyväskylä centre during last night and early this morning, but some nearby locations reported snow. Jyväskylä's ski centre, Laajavuori, received some snow this morning as the picture below shows.

Snow on Laajavuori just before 8am on September 23

Eastern Finland, especially, saw heavier snowfall. Temperatures there hovered closer to 0C. Ilomantsi, close to the Russian border, reported a snow depth this evening of 9cm. Meanwhile in nearby Joensuu, the reading was 3cm. Jyväskylä centre received some wet snow from the middle of the afternoon today all the way into the late evening, but the moist and above 0C air meant that any that reached the ground immediately melted.

Wet snow falling in Jyväskylä's Viitaniemi during the afternoon of September 23

More wet snow is expected tonight and temperatures tomorrow shouldn't climb higher than 6C or 7C.

Cold change coming to Finland, slightly warmer in Sydney

The last remnants of warm temperatures have been seen in Jyväskylä during the past week, but a cold change is imminent. Dry conditions have also continued up until today, but rain is likely to accompany the drop in temperatures.

Yesterday was the first day since September 2 that temperatures didn't climb above 15C at Jyväskylä Airport. It only reached 14.1C, the second coldest maximum for the month so far after September 1's 13.1C. Daily maximum values were fairly consistent though from Monday the 15th until Friday, ranging from 16.1C to 17.9C. These figures have been the highest among those from the five years prior for the same dates.

Despite the warm daytime temperatures, low minimums also continued. The eight day stretch from September 13 to yesterday had minimums ranging between -1.4C and 2.5C with an average of only 0.9C. It's worth keeping in mind that these measurements are from Tikkakoski, as minimums in the city area of Jyväskylä have been hovering more around 5C. However, these are definitely on the lower end of temperatures seen for this time of year since 2009.

Morning fog in Jyväskylä on September 17

This evening has seen a few patches of rain, along with a few small storm cells, move east across Finland. The next 36 hours or so will see temperatures continually drop right down to and below 0C across the southern half of the country. Current forecasts for tomorrow afternoon at 3pm in Jyväskylä have a prediction of only 5C. Sun should return on Tuesday and Wednesday, but it probably won't climb higher than 7C or 8C.

This time of year is arguably the most colourful. Colours in Viitaniemi on September 21

All of the leaves on these trees will fall in the next few weeks

The late arrival of winter to Sydney this year seems to have meant that it has just carried on longer than what has been seen in recent years. Daily maximums this month, as well as minimums, have clearly been on the lower end of the scale for September. Of the years since 2009, only 2010 (the coldest of the five previous years) saw comparable figures.

Since the 26.5C seen on September 11, no day has passed the 25C barrier. September 1 is the only other day to pass that mark so far this month. In addition to that, of the past four days, only one managed to get above 20C. Yesterday's minimum of 8.7C also equalled the month's lowest, set on the 2nd.

Forecasts for the coming week are a little more promising. All days up until September 28 have a predicted top above 20C. However, the highest of those is only 24C for both the 24th and 25th.

Contrasting first halves of September for Sydney and Jyväskylä

The first half of September has seen one city begin in cold fashion, the other warm. Things changed quickly though for the first city, with cold weather making way for rather warm temperatures for this time of year, while the other recorded some its coldest September temperatures in quite a few years. If we made a guess of which city we thought was which based only on the seasons and how temperatures should be climbing or falling, we would be wrong.

The average progression graphs below show an unusual mirror. Sydney was the city that started off warm with the second highest September 1 maximum in the past six years. Jyväskylä, on the other hand, saw the coldest September 1 maximum since 2009.

Minimums at Sydney Airport so far this September have been quite low. The highest daily minimum has been 14.8C, which was only recorded today. In the years between 2009 and 2013, only 2011 hadn't recorded a minimum higher than that by September 16.

As with other years, forecasts show the 2014 average minimum to stabilise over the coming week. It'll probably end up somewhere around the 2011 figure, perhaps slightly higher.

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

Other than the cold start to September in 2012, it's clear to see from the progressive average maximum graph below that daily maximums from 2014 have been unusually low so far this month. As mentioned in a previous post, Sydney Airport recorded three consecutive September days below 16C for the first time since 1995. September 8, 9 and 10 helped to increase the average by 1.8C though. The average has somewhat stabilised since then, increasing only slightly in the past couple of days.

Bureau of Meteorology forecasts up until September 23 show the average maximum holding steady alongside the long term average. The long term average maximum for September is 20.6C. If 2014 records the same value or lower, it will be the coldest since 1997. A couple of days in the high 20s towards the end of the month, something almost expected for Sydney during September, will change that though.

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

The minimum progression graph for Jyväskylä shows the average to be the lowest after 16 days of the month. Clear skies and dry conditions associated with recent high pressure systems over Finland have led to some rather cold overnight temperatures in the past few days. The past four minimums have measured between -1.4C (September 16) and 1.7C (September 13) leading to a noticeable dip in the average. While it's not the lowest September temperature since 2009, the -1.4C measurement from this morning is the earliest date after summer for the first recording below -1C.

Current forecasts show the average minimum for this September to close the month as the coldest since at least 2009.

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

After the first two days, which didn't climb above 14.3C, Jyväskylä has seen exceptional autumn warmth this September, especially considering the cold end to August. Only figures from 2013 rival this year, and the 2014 figure sits more than 4C higher than that of 2012. 

Temperatures will drop over the next week and based on current forecasts, we're likely to see the final average maximum end up as the second highest figure, somewhere between the 2009 and 2013 figures.

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

Something else to point out for Jyväskylä so far this September is that it has been exceptionally dry. After 16 days of the month, only 1.6mm has been recorded at Tikkakoski. The 1981-2010 monthly average is 55mm and September 2012 saw 101mm recorded. The record low for Jyväskylä is 8.8mm, from more than 100 years ago in 1901. No significant falls are forecast in the next 10 days either.

Temperatures drop after a warm few days

Warmer spring temperatures finally arrived in Sydney on Tuesday. It reached 24.2C at Sydney Airport during Tuesday afternoon, the warmest temperature in over a week. Unfortunately, as predicted, rain made an unwelcome return on Wednesday. The Airport saw 5.6mm recorded, with most of it falling around 6am. Temperatures still managed to get above 23C during the day though.

Yesterday and today have remained dry. It's been a long time coming, but that makes it the first instance of two consecutive days without rain since August 14 and 15.

In addition to the dry conditions, yesterday also continued the spring warmth from the two days prior. This time temperatures at the Airport climbed to 26.5C. May 22 and 23 also recorded a daily maximum at that figure, but to find a temperature higher you have to go back to the 30.1C recording from April 24, which is just over four and a half months ago.

A gradual southerly change occurred late yesterday evening, dropping temperatures. As a result, today has been much cooler. In fact, today's maximum of 16.8C is almost 10C colder than yesterday. The 9.7C difference makes it the third biggest drop between two consecutive days so far this year. The highest in 2014 is the 12.9C difference between the 34.9C top from February 26 and the 27th's 22.0C.

Another odd statistic from today was that the 2.5C difference between the low of 14.3C and the maximum of 16.8C is the smallest fluctuation this year and lowest since November 18 last year.

Despite early fog on a few mornings in Jyväskylä this week, the weather has been quite good. As my September 7 post mentioned, Tikkakoski only saw six September days above 20C between 2009 and 2013. Tuesday the 9th made it this September's fifth occurrence. This, however, should be the last day above 20C for this year. Wednesday and Thursday came very close also, getting to 19.4C and 19.8C respectively. The current average maximum for the month of 18.8C is the highest respective figure since 2009. It also sits 5C higher than that of 2012.

Like Sydney, Jyväskylä saw a drop in temperatures today. It barely got above 15C this afternoon making it the coldest day in almost a week and a half. Minimums have also been down - the previous two days have had figures just above 5C. This is fairly normal for this time of year though.

Dry weather also continued up until today. Other than a measly 0.1mm recorded on September 2, no other rain had been seen at Jyväskylä Airport until 4pm this afternoon. Tikkakoski registered a total of 1.5mm between 4pm and 7pm. Current forecasts suggest the monthly rainfall total will be well below average by the time September ends. Current forecasts don't predict any rain until September 21.

A look at the summer of 2014

Typically, summer in the Northern Hemisphere includes the months of June, July and August. For the sake of this post and analysis I've included May as well. The reason behind this is that May in Finland is very capable of producing warm days similar to those seen during the normal summer months. As some sort of support to that statement, Jyväskylä's highest temperature in 2009 was actually recorded in May.

The summer of 2014 in Jyväskylä was very warm. However, the overall figures and monthly averages between May and August don't necessarily tell the whole story.

May started off very cold. Then temperatures suddenly climbed to record highs, before quickly dropping just before the end of month. The average maximum for May was the lowest since at least 2009 and FMI figures put May 2014 very close to the 1981-2010 average.

After the first three days of June, temperatures briefly returned to those seen in mid-May. Just as quickly as they had arrived, they disappeared. The second half of June was cold, wet and generally quite miserable. FMI put June 2014 as the coldest since 2004.

Then came July. The first two days struggled to 15C, but real summer weather arrived on the 3rd. July 7, 8 and 9 each climbed above 26C. The rest of month saw beautiful, warm summer temperatures with any rainfall only associated with storm activity. The month wasn't quite as warm as that seen in 2010, but it was the sixth warmest since at least 1961.

August continued July's good run of warm temperatures, but they fell away quickly after the first two weeks. The average maximum from the first 15 days was 8.5C higher than that of the final 16. The early warmth helped August 2014 claim its place as the eighth warmest since at least 1961.

It was a summer of extremes; there were distinct periods of unusually cold temperatures along with periods of warm, and at times record, highs. The graph below shows the daily minimums and maximums at Jyväskylä Airport from the start of May until the end of August. The specific cold and warm segments of the summer are quite clear. For some comparison, the dotted line represents the averages from daily figures between 2009 and 2013.

Daily minimums and maximums at Jyväskylä Airport between May and August 2014.
Dotted line represents daily averages from 2009-2013.

If we go deeper in looking at how the summer of 2014 compared to previous years, we can turn to the number of days with minimums above and below 10C. The graph below shows this.

Jyväskylä minimums between May and August in the years between 2009 and 2014.
Blue represents minimums below 10C while orange represents minimums above 10C.

This year was quite similar to 2010. There was an early block of days in May and an extended period from July into August where temperatures remained above 10C. In 2010's case, this period lasted 33 days. 2014 recorded 30 consecutive days above 10C. 2009 and 2012's lack of consecutive days above 10C is quite clear also.

Jyväskylä maximums between May and August in the years between 2009 and 2014.
Blue represents maximums below 20C while orange represents maximums above 20C.

If we look at maximums above 20C, 2014's distinct warm and cold periods clearly stand out. Unlike 2011, for example, where temperatures fluctuated a lot more, 2014 saw consistent runs of days above or below 20C.

It's also interesting to see how many days with a maximum above 20C that also climbed above 25C. 2009 and 2012, especially, had the highest number of days that failed to convert 20C days into 'hellepäivät'.

Jyväskylä maximums between May and August in the years between 2009 and 2014.
Blue represents maximums below 25C while orange represents maximums above 25C.

I think this graph in particular is a great indicator of whether the summer was a good one. 2009 and 2012 were clearly not great summers, recording only 2 and 8 days above 25C respectively. On the other hand, 2010, 2014 and even 2011 and 2013 were rather good summers. There plenty of days above 25C, and they occurred at different times during the summer.

Looking at the graph, you can't help but once again compare 2014 to 2010. Both had good runs of days above 25C. This time 2014 recorded the higher number of consecutive days, a total of 12 in July. Another run of 10 days above 25C was also seen. 2010's highest streak was 10.

Some statistics for summer 2014 include:

• Highest temperature at Jyväskylä Airport of 30.3C on July 25. (Finland's highest temperature was 32.8C in Pori on August 4)
• Lowest temperature at Jyväskylä Airport of -6.4C on May 7.
• Wettest day was May 26 with 28.1mm.
• The overall high from each month from May to August was above 28C, something not seen in the years between 2009 and 2013.
• The weather stations of Helsinki Kumpula, Kouvola Utti and Hattula Lepaa all broke the record for the longest streak of days above 25C. With recordings dating back to 1959, the record had been 22 from the summer of 2003. Now it stands at 26.

In the end, 2014's summer was an exceptionally good one. Despite some of the cold temperatures seen, warm days were fairly evenly spread and July and early August were especially good. Now we head towards the cold of winter...

Autumn warmth in Finland, wintry conditions continue in Sydney

After a cold end to August and cold start to this month, warmer weather has returned to Jyväskylä. While temperatures haven't been anywhere close to those seen during the summer, the maximums around 20C that have been experienced are not that common for September.

In the years between 2009 and 2013 there were only six days in Jyväskylä with a maximum above 20C. Not including today, three days this month have already passed the 20C barrier - September 3, 4 and 5. The 4th recorded the top with 21.6C. This was the warmest September temperature since 2009.

The sun sets behind Laajavuori on September 3

As I mentioned in my post from September 1, forecasts early last week predicted a return to cooler weather this week. That totally changed a few days later. The coming week now looks set for this autumn warmth to continue. Maximums around 18C to 20C are now expected until the weekend. Rain also doesn't look likely to return until the start of next week.

This morning saw heavy fog cover the city. It wasn't until just before 11am that it started to lift.

Fog blanketed Jyväskylä on the morning of September 7

Not even the slightest hint of a breeze as fog sits over Tuomiojärvi

Mushrooms are a clear sign of autumn in Finland

Despite a warm first day of the month, wintry weather has continued in Sydney. Of the past four weeks at Sydney Airport, only two days have climbed above 20C. In contrast to Jyväskylä's warmth on September 3, 4 and 5, Sydney Airport didn't even climb above 16C over the three day period. This was the first instance of three consecutive September days below 16C since 1995.

Remarkably, rain has also continued to pester Sydneysiders. The first week of September has seen rain on every day. In fact, of the past 23 calendar days, only one (August 31) didn't see rain recorded at the Airport. Daily totals haven't been as high as those seen in August though. Yesterday and today have both recorded 9.2mm, the highest daily total so far this month.

A band of rain is predicted to hit Sydney on Tuesday afternoon, but temperatures should be a little warmer, possibly as high as 23C.

August 2014 Review - Jyväskylä

2014's edition of August in Jyväskylä was a month of two parts. The first half of the month saw exceptional warmth not only in Jyväskylä, but throughout most of Finland, but it ended abruptly as low temperatures dominated the remainder of the month. In the end Jyväskylä recorded an above average August in terms of both temperature and rainfall.

The averages from the previous six Augusts can be seen below.

August averages at Jyväskylä Airport for the period 2009-2014

The month of August since 2009 has been relatively stable compared to other months during the year. The average maximum for 2014 was the highest in the years since 2009. Minimums were slightly down though with the average minimum finishing as the third warmest. 

According to the Finnish Meteorological Institute, the overall average for the month was 15.4C (compared to my recording of 15.1C). This beat last year's 15.0C (14.7C) and was comfortably above the 1981-2010 figure of 14.1C. FMI records put August 2014 as the equal eighth warmest for Jyväskylä since at least 1961, although the average was well below the record of 17.0C shared by 2002 and 2006.

The first 16 days of the month all recorded temperatures above 20C. The first 11, except one, also managed to climb above 25C. August 5 was responsible for the highest overall temperature with a recording of 28.9C. The 6th and 7th followed that up with 28.8C on both days. Only the recording of 30.8C on the 8th back in 2010 has been higher than these three days since 2009. Off the back of maximums above 28C, August 8 recorded the month's highest minimum, 13.6C. Surprisingly, this is actually the lowest of the respective figures since 2009, and 1C lower than the next lowest, the 14.6C figure from 2009.

From August 17 onwards though, there wasn't one day above 20C. August 12 also broke a 30 day streak from mid-July of temperatures remaining above 10C. The first 16 days of August this year had averages of 11.0C and 24.8C, while the final 15 had averages of 8.1C and 16.3C. The very last day of the month saw both the lowest overall temperature and the lowest maximum, 1.0C and 12.2C respectively. The 1.0C recording was the second lowest August temperature since at least 2009.

National extremes included a monthly top of 32.8C in Pori on August 4 and a low of -2.6C in Ylivieska on the 31st. Somero, in the south west of the country, recorded a rainfall total of 236mm. 1980 was the last time a location in Finland recorded a higher August total.

While nowhere near Somero's total, rainfall for August 2014 in Jyväskylä was slightly higher than the long term average. FMI recorded a total of 92mm for the month, compared to my 98.1mm. The total last year was quite similar with 89mm. The 1981-2010 average is 78mm.

The drop in temperatures fell in line with the increase in rainfall. The graph below shows the relationship between the two.

Minimum and maximum temperatures along with daily rain totals at Jyväskylä Airport during August 2014

The month saw 19 rain days. The longest rain day streak was eight from August 23 onwards, one short of the highest this year. Those days accounted for 56.2mm. The wettest day was the 26th when 21.5mm fell. The longest streak of no rain was six days from the very beginning of the month.

Despite the exceptional warmth in the first two weeks, this year's August was fairly normal in its decline in temperatures as autumn drew closer. Looking at the results from the past few years, 2014's August is fairly similar to that from 2010. July this year was also quite similar to that of 2010. If we look more at what happened during the rest of 2010, we are reminded of the very cold temperatures that arrived already in mid-November. The following 2010/11 winter was one of the coldest in recent memory. Perhaps 2014 is heading towards similar results...?

August 2014 Review - Sydney

After experiencing a very warm May, June and July in 2014, Sydney recorded a rather cold August. The average maximum at Sydney Airport was equal with 2008 as the coldest since 1989. It was also very wet. A series of intense low pressure systems and associated rain events up and down Australia's east coast from the middle of the month helped the Airport record its wettest August since 1998.

The long term averages for August at Sydney Airport, along with those in the years since 2009, are shown below.

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

The average maximum of 17.3C was a degree colder than the next coldest in the years since 2009, and around 4C colder than the August of 2009 and that of last year. The highest average maximum achieved as the month wore on was only 18.6C on the 10th. From August 16 until the end, it never went above 17.3C. For some comparison, the progressive averages during August 2009 and 2011 didn't go below 19C even once.

Despite the low average maximum, the average minimum was slightly higher than some recent figures, beating both 2010 and 2012. As usual it was higher than the long term figure.

The month's highest temperature was seen on August 10, a top of 22.9C. Since 2002, only 2008 and this year have had an overall August high below 25C. August 17 and 27 shared the highest minimum; a recording of 12.6C. This was the lowest since 2009, 1.6C lower than the next figure of 14.0C from 2011.

August 3 saw temperatures plummet to only 4.9C. That was the lowest temperature seen at the Airport since June 30 in 2010, and the third coldest since mid-July 2007. The coldest day of the month was seen on the 11th when a top of 13.1C was recorded. It was the lowest August figure since 2008. This will also remain as the coldest day for 2014.

August 2014 saw a lot of rain. Not only was it the wettest August since 1998, it was the fourth wettest at the Airport since records began in 1930. Rain fell on 21 days during the month, including 15 consecutive days from August 16, and the monthly total reached 257.8mm. That total made it the wettest month overall since June last year. Since the start of 2000, eight months out of 176, only 4.5%, have recorded a total above 250mm.

Daily rainfalls total at Sydney Airport for August 2014

The wettest day of the month was August 18. A total of 48.6mm fell then, making it the second wettest day this year. The 12th also saw a total above 40mm. August 17 to 19 accounted for 101.2mm of the monthly total, easily the highest three day total so far this year. With only 10 dry days for the month, the longest dry day streak was an unsurprising figure of four, from August 1 onwards.

Wind speeds were once again down on last year's figures. Both the strongest and weakest daily gusts were lower. The highest wind gust for August this year was a south-southeasterly at 89km/h, which accompanied the rain on August 18. That is compared to a top of 94km/h last year, although it is still the second strongest gust seen this year. The 24th was the calmest day. A strongest gust of only 24km/h from the east was recorded then.

The recorded hours of sunlight really tell the story for August this year. Last year's warm August saw 277.5 hours at the Airport, with 17 days topping 10 hours. This year saw only 197.6 hours, more than three full days less. There were also only eight days that saw more than 10 hours.

Cold end to August, rain day streaks end

The final days of summer over the weekend were rather cold in Finland. During the time between Friday and Sunday it didn't even climb above 13C at Jyväskylä Airport. A top of 12.8C was recorded on Friday, it just got to 13.0C on Saturday and yesterday was even colder, a chilly 12.2C. After three cooler daily maximums in August 2010, yesterday's temperature was the fourth coldest August maximum since at least 2009.

Yesterday also surprised with its minimum temperature. Forecasts had predictions for overnight temperatures to drop to around 6C or 7C, but Tikkakoski saw a low of only 1.0C between 4am and 5am. That was the second coldest August temperature for Jyväskylä since at least 2009.

Despite the cool temperatures yesterday, an eight day rain streak was ended. August 29 and 30 recorded 3.9mm and 1.4mm respectively, but it remained dry for the last day of the month.

Temperatures are predicted to return to around 20C later this week. A top of 21C is currently forecast for Thursday. Wednesday and Friday might also reach 20C. If the predictions come true, these are likely to be the last days of the year above 20C for Jyväskylä. Early forecasts for next week already have maximums back down to only 12C. Historically speaking, temperatures above 20C (not surprisingly) become increasingly rare as September wears on.

August this year never really looked like showing an early signs of spring in Sydney, and the final three days of the month were no different. Friday and Saturday only hit tops of 16.0C and 16.1C respectively. Yesterday's 19.3C was the sixth warmest of the month. In comparison, the respective sixth warmest maximum temperature from all Augusts between 2009 and 2013 ranged from 20.6C to 25.2C.

In terms of minimums, Friday saw the first below 10C in almost two weeks. August 30 and 31 recorded minimums back above 10C though.

The streak of rain days also ended at Sydney Airport yesterday. The streak of 15 between August 16 and 30 is the longest this year and accounted for 207.6mm. Friday and Saturday added 3.4mm and 1.2mm respectively to the monthly total.

The first day of September has seen already seen something August didn't, a maximum above 25C. The 25.2C recording at 2:16pm this afternoon was the highest since July 31. In a strange coincidence, that meant that the cold August of 2014 was book-ended by two 25C plus days. Today's warmth is brief though. Rain is expected to return tomorrow, along with cooler temperatures below 20C for the rest of the week.