Sydney’s cold dry snap a godsend after extreme wet weather

The dry weather has been a welcome reprieve from La Nina, but it comes at an extra-frosty price as Antarctica’s winds trap Sydney in a polar freeze. Find out when it will pass.

It’s the longest dry spell Sydney has had all year and it’s here to stay for another week.

But while the dry weather is a welcome reprieve from the near-constant rain for many areas along the southeastern coast — it comes at a chilly price.

While cooler winter temperatures are common during La Nina weather periods, the extra-frosty bite in the air is due to a blocking high-pressure system sitting south of Western Australia.

“The blocking high blocks the eastwards progression of systems with winds that blow anticlockwise … it means on its eastern flank we’ve got cold air from Antarctica pushing up towards Australia,” Sky News Weather meteorologist Thomas Saunders said.

“So we’ve been stuck in this cold flow of polar air since Sunday and we will continue to be stuck under that airstream until Tuesday, so we’re looking at a 10-day cold spell for southeast states and at times, that cold air pushing all the way out to the northern parts of the country.”

Sydneysiders brave the extreme chilly weather that hit Sydney today as a cold front moves in from the West. Picture: Gaye Gerard

With Sydney set to expect minimum temperatures of five to six degrees over the next week, the cold winds are expected to ease by Thursday, with a 19 degree Celsius maximum as the blocking high moves off the east coast.

“So that high will finally start moving rapidly from Sunday onwards … but it’s not until it moves away on Tuesday that we’ll start to get some warmer air moving in from the northwest,” Mr Saunders said.

The first day of winter in 2022 was a chilly nine degrees at Coogee. Picture: John Grainger

This comes after Sydney experienced the coldest start to winter in 30 years, when temperatures failed to rise above 18.5 degrees celsius over the first seven days of June — the first time that has happened since 1989.

However, the icy blast hasn’t stopped Bondi mum Anna Jezewski and her five-year old daughter Claudia from attending their weekly morning beach meditation sessions.

“I was with a group of friends doing meditation but Claudia and (her friend) India were running around on the grass, chatting to all the friendly dogs and it was nice to see them giggling and just happy to be out,” Ms Jezewski said.

“I think we forget how cold winter gets, and especially over these past few days it’s been really cold.

Beating the cold weather with beanies at Bondi are five-year-olds Claudia Jezewski (left) with friend Indi Martin and their friend’s dog Munchie.

“But I still think it’s good to get (the kids) out despite the weather … it’s been beautiful – sunny but cold, which is perfect for being out and all you have to do is throw on a jacket.”

Ms Jezewski said the dry spell also gave them a much-needed opportunity to aerate their home.

“Mould can be an issue, especially in the eastern suburbs … but we haven’t had issues with mould luckily,” she said.

“We always try to keep our windows open even during the winter.”

Images of mould in Sydney homes due to La Nina’s constant downpours. Picture: Matt Reardon

But according to ABC Mould Removals specialist Warren Bailey, opening windows and doors does little to fend off a mould infestation – especially if you can already see it spreading.

“If it’s damp, smells like mould and you have a patch bigger than the size of your fist, it’s time to call a specialist,” Mr Bailey said.

“But opening windows isn’t going to stop mould if you already have it.”

With east coast Australians hoping to avoid a repeat of the record-breaking floods, forecasters are divided on whether Australia will experience the “rare” triple La Nina.

While the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) has announced that the La Nina weather event is “slowly weakening”, competing weather simulation models have not completely ruled out a prolonged La Nina.

“Even if La Nina eases, the forecast sea surface temperature pattern in the tropical Pacific still favours average to above average winter rainfall for eastern Australia,” the BOM said.

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