The Weather at Guyra
NSW
A compilation of present and past weather at Guyra
NSW Australia
Guyra is located on the Northern
Tablelands of New South Wales, elevation 1332 metres
This website has been prepared with information
supplied by Jeff Martin, Observer for Bureau of Meteorology
Image: Snow covered Bradley Street
looking north on 4th July 1984
Photograph courtesy of Guyra Argus
The town of Guyra is literally at the top of the range on the Northern
Tablelands of New South Wales with the Great Divide running right through the
town itself. The Bureau of Meteorology weather station is located in the
grounds of the Guyra Hospital at an elevation of 1332
metres. This station has been in operation since
August 1981.
Prior to this the post office operated a weather station from 1911 to 1972 with
a number of gaps. Rainfall has been recorded for a longer period starting in
1886 at the post office.
Readings were taken twice daily at the hospital at 9am and 3pm. From 1st August
2015 only 9am observations are being taken.
RAINFALL CHART for your
farm/home rainfall recordings. PDF format - printable.
Current
Weather Conditions
Present
temperature, humidity, wind and rainfall in Guyra here.
Note: This is a privately owned weather station in North Guyra.
Data recorded here will vary slightly from the official station at the Guyra
Hospital.
Conditions are updated every few minutes through the Weather Underground
website. If temperatures are displayed in Farenheit,
go to the settings icon in the top right corner of the screen and set to degrees
C.
Recent Weather
Last three 9am observations from the Bureau weather
station at the Guyra Hospital here.
Monthly
Data Files
Daily data for this month and the previous 12 months here.
Climate
Averages
Climate averages and extremes for Guyra Post Office here.
This set of statistics uses rainfall data from 1886,
but temperature data is limited to the period 1911 to 1956 with a few missing
years, and 1965 to 1972.
Climate averages and extremes for Guyra Hospital
here.
This set of statistics uses rainfall and temperature data from 1981 which means
the rainfall averages are not reliable for such a relatively short period. It
is recommended that rainfall averages from the post office site be used for
greater accuracy.
About Guyra’s
Weather
Guyra is the highest town on the Northern Tablelands
and as such records the lowest day time temperatures in the region. Overnight
temperatures however, particularly in the winter months, are frequently higher
than nearby Armidale and Glen Innes. This is because Guyra
is at the top of an exposed plateau where the wind may blow all night, whereas
Armidale and Glen Innes are in protected valleys where cold air drainage and
temperature inversions are common events allowing overnight temperatures to
drop to lower levels.
If you want to see snow on the Northern Tablelands, Guyra
is the place to be with an average of five snowfalls per year. Most years Guyra manages at least one good snowfall with snow several centimetres deep on the ground, easily enough to build a
good sized snow person! During such events the New England Highway is often
closed to the north and south of the town for a few hours or maybe a full
day.
Guyra's climate can be summed up as mild to warm in
summer and cold in winter.
Temperature extremes:
Highest maximum: 37.8C on 15th January 1939
Lowest maximum: -0.3C on 3rd July 1984
during heavy snowfalls
Lowest minimum: -7.8C on 26th June 1971
Guyra Weather News 2023
MAY SUMMARY (Long
term average in brackets)
Rainfall: 21.6 mm (50 mm) on 42 days
Average maximum temp: 13.6C (14.3C)
Average minimum temp: 1.7C (3.9C)
Highest: 17.2C on the 23rd
Lowest maximum temp: 9.1C on the
8th
Lowest: -2.3C on the 28th
Frosts: 20 (10)
Sunny days: 22 (15)
Days with thunder: 0 (1)
Complete May 2023 data table here.
(printable)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Guyra Weather News 2022
2022 MONTHLY STATISTICS TABLE here.
2022 RAINFALL: 1,086.6 mm, 210 mm or 24 per
cent higher than the average. Rainfall was above average in eight months of the
year with 2022 being the third consecutive year with well above average
rainfall. (2020: 978 mm, 2021: 1200 mm)
COOLEST DECEMBER FOR 11 YEARS - It was unusually cool for the first month of summer.
Maximum temperatures averaged 21.0C , lowest since
2011 (19.1C). The average minimum of 7.0C was the lowest on
record for December. Previous lowest was 7.3C in 1924.
(From 88 years of records. Note there are some gaps in the temperature database
prior to 1981.)
COLDEST DECEMBER DAY FOR 11
YEARS - 1st December - It was an overcast
drizzly day with cool easterly winds which restricted the maximum temperature to
just 10.9C. This is 11 degrees lower than the average, and was Guyra’s coolest
December day since 6th December 2003 (10.7C).
COLDEST NOVEMBER DAY & NIGHT FOR 16 YEARS - 2nd/3rd November - The maximum temperature of 9.4C on the 3rd was the lowest
for the month of November since 16th November 2006 (8.2C), and the minimum of
-1.5C on the 3rd was the lowest for November since 17th November 2006 (-2.6C).
The unseasonally cold conditions were caused by cold
air following a front and trough which passed through eastern New South Wales
on the 1st and 2nd.
LATE WINTER SNOW -23rd August - A fast moving severe cold front passed through
the Northern Tablelands bringing strong winds, showers, low temperatures, and
snow to the higher areas in the evening. In Guyra a ten
minute shower of hail at around 6pm was followed by moderate to heavy snow
showers from around 7pm to 8pm easing to intermittent light snow showers for
the remainder of the evening. Snow settled on the ground to a depth of 4 to 6 cms, and was still on the ground the following morning,
melting later in the day. Temperatures hovered around zero to -1C from 7pm
during the snowfalls.
FIRST SNOWFALLS
OF THE YEAR -13th July - Light snow fell from around 11.30am for
about 20 minutes but did not settle on the ground. Light showers of sago snow
then occurred intermittently until around 5pm. Maximum temperature was 5.1C,
but dropped to 1.0C at 11.45am during the morning snowfall. Cold south-westerly
winds combined with upper level cold air following the passage of a cold front
and trough caused the snowy conditions.
COOLEST FEBRUARY FOR 34 YEARS - With numerous cloudy days and higher
than normal rainfall, February 2022 was the coolest February since 1988.
Maximum temperatures averaged just 20.3C for the month and temperatures reached
25.0C or higher on only two days.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Guyra Weather News 2021
2021 MONTHLY STATISTICS TABLE here.
2021 WETTEST FOR 71 YEARS: The
rainfall total for 2021 of 1,199.6 mm was 325 mm or 37 per cent higher
than the average, and was Guyra’s wettest year since 1950
(1257 mm). Above average rainfall was recorded in seven months of the year with
November being the wettest at 185 mm.
COOLEST NOVEMBER FOR 20 YEARS - November was an unusually wet and
cloudy month. The average maximum temperature of 18.7C was the lowest for the
month of November since 2001 (18.5C). The lowest daily maximum of 12.0C on the
13th was the coolest for November since 23rd November 2008 (11.8C).
SNOW AND HAIL-21st September - Very cold air following a severe cold
front which moved through north-east New South Wales late on the 20th produced
showers of snow and hail on the higher areas of the Northern Tablelands. In Guyra there were a several light snow showers during the
morning after 9am with a heavier snow shower at around 2pm which briefly
settled on the ground. At 4pm there was a heavy shower of small hail (sometimes
referred to as sago snow) which lasted for about ten minutes with 80 per cent
of the ground whitened. Maximum temp: 6.5C, rain to 9am on 22nd: 0.4 mm,
maximum wind gust: 55 km/hr at 12.45pm.
RAIN, SNOW, HAIL-24th August - A severe
cold front passed through north-eastern New South Wales in the early hours
bringing moderate falls of rain to the Northern Tablelands and snow in elevated
areas. In Guyra rain in the early morning turned to snow at around 7am, but
only settled briefly on the ground. A moderate snow shower at around 11am,
lasting about 30 minutes, also settled briefly before melting. During the
afternoon there were a number of brief light snow showers, and also small hail
(often referred to as sago snow or sleet). The maximum temperature was 4.4C at
9.50am, but strong winds throughout the day gusting to 60 km per hour kept the
wind chill temperature well below zero degrees. Rainfall: 33.8 mm for the 4
hours to 9am with a further 6.0 mm falling during the day.
Further light showers of snow fell in the early morning of the 25th.
SNOW EVENT 20th-21st July - A cold front with
associated upper level cold air moved through the Northern Tablelands bringing
snow to areas around Walcha and to the Guyra-Black Mountain-Ben Lomond area. In Guyra snow showers commenced at around 10pm on the 20th
with snow settling on the ground. Further snow showers occurred through the
night and morning of the 21st. At 6am snow was about 4 cms
deep on the ground but gradually melted later in the morning. Very light snow
continued until around 12 noon.
SNOW EVENT 9th-10th June - Low temperatures, strong winds and showers of rain and
snow occurred on the Northern Tablelands after a cold front passed through the
region late on the 8th. A low pressure system associated with the front
developed over southern New South Wales on the 9th which generated cold west to
north-westerly winds over the north of the state. This surface system combined
with upper level cold air caused snow to fall over the higher areas of the
tablelands including Guyra, Black Mountain and Glen Innes on the 9th and 10th.
In Guyra:
Wed 9th - light flurries during the day, heavier in the evening with snow
settling on the ground to a depth of about 4cm. Max temp: 4.4C.
Thurs 10th - light snow showers during the day but not settling. Heavier snow in the evening between 9pm and around midnight with
snow settling to a depth of 8 to 9 cms. Max
temp: 2.5C
Fri 11th - rain and higher temperatures in the early hours of the morning
caused the snow to melt.
Guyra Weather News Archive
Weather news from
previous years here.
Yearly Statistics Tables
1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987
1988
1989
1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
Snow Dates
Dates on which it has snowed in Guyra since 1982, including light
non-settling falls.
Annual average 4.6 snow days.
1982: 5 days: 21/6,
22/6, 19/7, 20/7,
30/9
1983: 5 days: 27/6,
8/7, 1/8, 28/8,
6/10
1984: 8 days: 29/6,
30/6, 3/7, 4/7,
5/7, 11/8, 12/8,
19/9
1985: 9 days: 20/5,
21/5, 5/6, 6/6,
21/6, 19/7, 8/8,
2/9, 3/9
1986: 3 days: 23/6,
9/7, 6/8
1987: 3 days: 28/5,
23/7, 1/9
1988: 2 days: 8/8,
20/9
1989: 11 days: 10/6,
11/6, 21/6, 22/6,
24/6, 17/7, 18/7,
23/7, 24/7, 8/8,
26/9
1990: 8 days: 28/6,
2/7, 3/7, 3/8, 10/8,
23/8, 26/8, 22/10
1991: 6 days: 13/6,
10/7, 11/7, 14/7,
24/8, 12/9
1992: 10 days: 11/6,
24/6, 25/6, 26/6,
10/7, 20/7, 8/8,
13/8, 16/9, 29/9
1993: 1 day: 4/8
1994: 8 days: 13/4,
28/6, 30/7, 31/7,
21/8, 21/9, 27/9,
8/10
1995: 4 days: 17/6,
21/6, 19/7, 28/7
1996: 8 days: 12/7,
13/7, 14/7, 15/7,
21/7, 30/7, 19/8,
3/9
1997: 0 days
1998: 5 days: 23/6,
30/6, 29/7, 30/7,
31/7
1999: 3 days: 16/6,
14/8, 15/8
2000: 10 days: 28/5,
29/5, 30/5, 31/5,
1/6, 30/6, 27/7,
28/7, 24/8, 25/8
2001: 4 days: 7/7,
8/7, 26/8, 27/8
2002: 0 days
2003: 2 days: 24/7,
26/7
2004: 6 days: 20/6,
8/7, 17/7, 18/7,
5/8, 18/8
2005: 4 days: 22/6,
23/6, 10/7, 17/9
2006: 3 days: 4/8,
7/9, 16/11
2007: 9 days: 8/6,
9/6, 19/6, 20/6, 27/6, 28/6,
8/7, 9/7, 10/7
2008: 9 days: 17/5,
18/5, 9/7, 27/7, 28/7, 5/8, 6/8, 23/8, 22/10
2009: 2 days: 10/6,
15/7
2010: 5 days: 3/7,
2/8, 12/8, 26/8,
16/10
2011: 5 days: 19/7,
9/8, 18/8, 10/9,
1/10
2012: 4 days: 5/6,
28/7, 1/8, 12/10
2013: 1 day: 25/6
2014: 5 days: 3/5,
4/5, 30/6, 18/7,
3/9
2015: 6 days: 5/6,
12/7, 13/7, 16/7,
17/7, 6/8
2016: 4 days: 24/6,
27/6, 5/7, 6/7
2017: 0 days
2018: 2 days: 18/6,
7/7
2019: 4 days: 4/6,
10/8, 11/8, 9/9
2020: 4 days: 2/6,
22/6, 13/7, 9/8
2021: 9 days: 9/6,
10/6, 11/6, 20/7,
21/7, 24/8, 25/8,
14/9, 21/9
2022: 2 days: 13/7,
23/8
Details of Guyra
Snowfalls since 2006
Gallery of Northern
Tablelands snow photographs 1984 to 2015
The January 1939 Heatwave
During the middle of January 1939 a severe heatwave affected south-east
Australia with record high temperatures recorded in Sydney, Melbourne and
Adelaide as well as a number of towns in northern New South Wales.
The following maximum temperatures were recorded in Guyra:
January 10th: 33.9C, 11th: 34.4C, 12th: 33.9C,
13th: 35.0C, 14th: 35.6C, 15th:
37.8C, 16th: 35.6C, 17th: 33.3C.
The maximum of 37.8C on the 15th is the highest on record for Guyra.
On the same day nearby Armidale also recorded its highest temperature on record
of 39.7C.
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