Grafton sets 10-year temperature record

IF YOU found yourself reaching for the A/C you weren't the only one, with the mercury hitting 27 degrees, topping a ten year record.

Grafton hit a ten year maximum temperature record for July today. Picture: Justin Clark

GRAFTON recorded its hottest July day in 10 years, with the mercury hitting a maximum of 27 degrees this afternoon.

Today's maximum temperature moved past the recent record for the hottest day in July, set in 2006, by one degree.

The highest recorded temperature for Grafton in July was recorded in 1970 at 28.2 degrees.

The current warmth is in stark contrast to the cool temperatures felt during the July Carnival last week, which bottomed out at 14.5 degrees on Grafton Cup Day last Thursday.

The Bureau of Meteorology is predicting the warm weather to stick around on Saturday, with a maximum of 27 in Grafton and 26 in Yamba.

Weatherzone senior meteorologist Jacob Cronje said it was an unusual hot spell for this time of year.

"We have lingering warmer sea temperatures and a trough coming down from the tropical regions of Australia," Mr Cronje said.

"A combination of those factors means its getting pretty hot, in the mid to high 20s, which is unusual for this time of year.

"It's going to bring rainfall to some regions, not necessarily Grafton, but places such as Sydney will receive a few millimetres."

Originally published as Grafton sets 10-year temperature record