The Weather at Guyra NSW

The town of Guyra is literally at the top of the range near the higher parts of the Northern Tablelands. In fact the Great Divide runs right through the town itself. The Bureau of Meteorology weather station is located in the grounds of the Guyra Hospital, elevation 1332 metres. This station has been in operation since August 1981.
Prior to this the post office operated a weather station from 1965 to 1972. Rainfall has been recorded for a longer period starting in 1886 at the post office.
Readings are taken daily at the hospital at the standard observation times of 9am and 3pm.


Right:  Snow on the ground next to the New England Highway in Guyra
in the evening of July 15th 2009. Image by Michael Gill.


RECENT WEATHER CONDITIONS
Last six observations (9am and 3pm) over the last 72 hours 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 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 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, 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 in summer and cold in winter.
Highest temperature on record: 32.8C on January 31st 2003.
Lowest maximum temperature: -0.3C on July 3rd 1984 during a particularly heavy snowfall.
Lowest minimum temperature: -7.8C on June 26th 1971.

Below:  Winter snow scene in Cave Place, Guyra, in the
afternoon of July 8th 2007.  Photograph by Trish Martin.


GUYRA WEATHER NEWS 2010

COOLEST JANUARY MORNING ON RECORD - January 19th - The minimum of 3.7C, along with a light frost, was the coldest on record for January (35 years of records). The previous lowest was 3.9C on Jan 12th 1965. This was the first January frost recorded in Guyra from 31 years of frost records.


GUYRA WEATHER NEWS 2009

HOTTEST DAY FOR 8 YEARS - February 9th - The maximum of 32.0C was the hottest day for any month since January 15th 2001 which also recorded 32.0C. It was the hottest February day for 26 years since February 10th 1983 which also recorded 32.0C.
Guyra’s highest temperatures from 36 years of records: 32.8C on 31/1/03, 32.5C on 28/1/90, 32.4C on 27/1/03, 32.3C on 19/1/03, 32.2C on 8/1/94, 32.0C on 10/2/83, 15/1/01 & 9/2/09.

LIGHT SNOWFALLS - A severe cold front brought the first snow of the year on June 10th when there was a light snow shower at 8.45am for about 15 minutes. Later in the morning at around 10am there were light snowflakes mixed with rain (sleet) for a brief period. The maximum temperature for the day was 5.7C with a 3pm wind chill temperature of -10C due to strong 46 km per hr westerly winds.

JULY SNOW - July 15th - As very cold air moved over the Northern Tablelands, Guyra received snow showers in the afternoon and evening. The heaviest fall was from 7.00 to 7.30pm with large flakes settling on the ground to a depth of around 5 to 7 cms. The snow remained on the ground until soon after dawn the following morning when it melted rapidly. Cold showery conditions on Thursday the 16th kept the temperature down to a maximum of only 4.7C. At 3pm it was 3.0C with a wind chill temperature of -9C.
There was no snow on Thursday the 16th apart from a little sleet.

RECORD AUGUST HEAT - August 24th/25th - Warm north-westerly winds on the 24th produced a record high August temperature. The maximum of 25.2C was the highest August temperature on record from 36 years of records. The previous highest was 24.0C on Aug 19th 1995.
The evening of the 24th was also extremely mild with the minimum in the early morning of the 25th being 12.6C. This was the highest minimum temperature on record for August. The previous highest was 11.1C on Aug 23rd 1988.
The average maximum temperature for the whole of August of 16.2C was the highest for August for 63 years since 1946 (16.8C).

DUST STORM - September 23rd - Residents awoke to find the town covered in a choking cloud of thick brown dust. Horizontal visibility was 300 metres at 9am and gradually improved as the day progressed.
The dust which arrived at around 5am, was blown in from South Australia and western New South Wales by a severe cold front with strong winds. It cleared during the evening.

DUST HAZE - September 26th - More dust was blown in from the west in the early hours with visibility around 2000 to 3000 metres during the morning. It cleared during the evening.

NOVEMBER HEATWAVE - November 16th to 23rd - Hot north-westerly winds brought record breaking temperatures to many parts of northern New South Wales. In Guyra maximum temperatures exceeded 28.0C on eight consecutive days from the 16th to the 23rd peaking on Friday the 20th at 31.6C which was Guyra’s hottest November day on record (35 years of records). The previous highest was 30.2C on Nov 10th 2002.


GUYRA WEATHER NEWS 2008

COOLEST FEBRUARY FOR 12 YEARS - February 2008 was an unusually cool and cloudy month with an average maximum temperature of just 21.0 degrees - the coolest February since 1996 when it was 20.5C.

LOWEST MARCH AVERAGE MINIMUM TEMPERATURE ON RECORD - Days during March were warm and sunny, but overnight temperatures were unusually cool. The average minimum of 7.5C was the lowest from 33 years of Guyra temperature records. The previous lowest March average minimum was 8.4C in 1988.

EARLY FIRST FROSTS - The first frosts of the year arrived much earlier than normal on the last three days of March: 29th: 3.6C, 30th: 0.8C, 31st: 2.7C. The minimum of 0.8C on the 30th was Guyra’s coldest March temperature for 24 years since March 28th 1984 when it dropped to -0.3C.

COLD SNAP IN LATE APRIL - A cold front passing through the region on April 28th held the maximum temperature down to just 9.8C, the lowest April maximum since 1995. The minimum temperature the following morning (the 29th) of -2.8C was the lowest on record for April from 34 years of records. The previous lowest was -2.2C on April 29th 1970. Temperatures were generally much cooler than normal during April. The average maximum for the month of 16.1C was the lowest for April for 18 years since 1990, and the average minimum of 4.8C was the coolest for April since 1972.

AUTUMN SNOWFALLS ON MAY 17TH & 18TH - A strong cold front brought early season snowfalls to Guyra with moderate snow falling from around 9.30 to 11pm in the evening of May 17th, and further lighter falls at around 9am on the following morning. Snow was 7 cms deep on the ground at 9am, but had mostly melted by 12 noon. The maximum temperature on the 18th was just 5.9C, the coldest May maximum since May 30th 2000. Strong westerly winds during the day kept wind chill temperatures around -5 to -10C.

SNOWFALLS ON JULY 9TH - A strong cold front and upper level cold pool passed through the region bringing light snow showers in the morning, and heavier snow showers in the afternoon from around 2.30 to 6pm. By late afternoon snow was 8 cms deep on the ground where it remained until late the following morning when it melted. Temperatures were very low on Wednesday the 9th. The 9am temp was -1.0C with a wind chill temp of -14C. At 3pm the temp was 0.0C and the wind chill temp -5C. The maximum for the day was just 1.8C which was the lowest for any month since August 19th 1996 when it was 1.6C during a day of snowfalls. The July 9th 2008 snowfalls were widespread along the Northern Tablelands with falls from Hanging Rock in the south to Tenterfield in the north.

MORE SNOW ON JULY 27TH & 28TH - A pool of cold air from the south swept over the Northern Tablelands on Sunday afternoon July 27th. Showers of snow and sago started at 3pm and lasted until around 9pm leaving a white cover of about 3 cms on the ground. There was no further snow until around the middle of the following day (Monday the 28th) when there were more snow showers, mostly sago. The usual cold temperatures accompanied the snow. Minimum on Monday was -1.9C and the maximum was just 4.2C. In this event snowfalls extended north over the border into southern Queensland where the Stanthorpe area had light settling falls.

AUGUST SNOWFALLS - A cold change brought a brief blast of cold air in the late evening of Tuesday August 5th when light snow fell overnight and early the following morning. At 9am on Wednesday the 6th there was a light patchy cover of snow on the ground which melted soon after.
A further cold change in the evening of the 7th brought very light snow to the Ben Lomond area, but no snow was observed in Guyra.
August 23rd - A cold front passing through the region on the evening of Friday the 22nd brought strong winds, low temperatures and light snow to Guyra. After a little sleet early in the evening, the main snowfalls started around midnight settling on the ground to a depth of about 2 cms. It was still there the next morning, the 23rd, at 7am, but melted quickly under early morning sunshine. This system also delivered settling snow to Walcha and further south at Hanging Rock.

OCTOBER SNOW - A severe cold front passed through in the afternoon of October 22nd plunging the temperature from 12C at 3pm to around 3C at 4pm. Snow fell from 4.00 to 4.25pm in large wet flakes, but did not settle on the ground. There were further light snowfalls in the evening.

COLD SNAP & STRONG WINDS – A severe cold front brought strong westerly winds on November 22nd and 23rd with gusts in excess of 80 km per hour. The cold air arrived on the 22nd with the maximum for the day of just 11.8C. Although there was no rain or snow, some locals claimed there were a few light snowflakes in the early hours of the 23rd when the temperature dropped to 1.0C.

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM - At around 4pm on November 28th a severe storm swept through the town with strong winds, heavy rain and hail. The western side of town received the worst of the storm with roofs and sheds damaged and trees blown down. The weather station at the hospital recorded 37.4 mm of rain from the storm, most of which fell in a twenty minute period causing minor flash flooding with roofs and drains unable to cope. Similar damage occurred just north of Guyra at Llangothlin, probably from the same storm.


GUYRA WEATHER NEWS 2007

WET START TO MARCH - Storms and heavy rain on March 1st and 2nd totaled 86.4 mm which is 14 mm higher than the average rainfall for the whole month.

GUYRA WARMER THAN ARMIDALE - In extremely unusual circumstances on Thursday April 26th, Guyra was actually warmer than Armidale by over 3 degrees. It was cloudy and cold with a maximum of 14.2C in Armidale, but the sun came out in Guyra and warmed the town up to 17.5C. Guyra's maximums are almost always lower than Armidale's, but occasionally there is a reversal of about one degree. On this occasion it was 3.3 degrees which is a new record for Guyra.

WARMEST MAY ON RECORD - May 2007 was Guyra's warmest on record from 32 years of records. The average maximum temperature for the month of 16.3C was 2.1 degrees higher than the long term average for May. The previous highest was 15.8C in 1993. The maximum for the month of 20.4C on the 4th was the highest for May for 23 years. The warm temperatures followed a trend in eastern Australia where many other towns and cities also recorded their warmest May on record. Armidale had its warmest May since 1939. Slow moving high pressure systems bringing sunny conditions, and a lack of strong cold fronts during the month were the major reasons for the unseasonably warm conditions.

SNOWFALLS ON JUNE 8TH & 9TH - The first snow in 2007 arrived on Friday June 8th with showers of sago snow falling in the late afternoon and evening. Heavier snow fell between midnight and 4am on Saturday the 9th. Snow lay on the ground up 5 cms deep in places until mid morning when it melted off. Friday's maximum temperature was a chilly 5.0C while Saturday's minimum was -1.0C.

SNOW AND COLD TEMPS ON JUNE 20TH - 2 centimetres of snow fell in the early morning hours of Wednesday June 20th with a light cover remaining on the ground at 9am. It was also Guyra's coldest day for nine years. After an early morning minimum of -5.0C, the maximum reached was only 2.6C making it the coldest day for any month since July 31st 1998 when the maximum was 2.0C.

MORE SNOWFALLS ON JUNE 27TH & 28TH - In the third snow event for 2007 Guyra was once again cloaked in white in the the morning of June 28th after moderate overnight falls which started the previous evening. The snow cover in the morning was around 3 centimetres deep aided by a brief heavy fall at 9am with further lighter intermittent falls throughout the day until sunset. The snow remained on the ground until around mid afternoon. It was extremely cold with the wind chill temperature at 3pm being around -9C. The maximum to 3pm was just 1.8C, although the official top for the day was 3.8C as measured at 9am the following day.

JUNE COLDEST MONTH FOR 16 YEARS - With an average maximum temperature of just 9.1C, June 2007 was Guyra's coldest month since July 1991 when it was 8.7C. The June long term average is 11.1C. It was also the lowest on record for June (32 years of records). Cloudy and windy conditions, and three severe cold snaps bringing snow on 6 days of the month were all contributing factors to the unusually low day temperatures.

HEAVIEST SNOWFALLS ON JULY 8TH - The fourth severe cold snap this year brought the best snowfalls so far in 2007 on Sunday July 8th. Snow showers fell throughout the day from 8.30am with the heaviest falls around 3pm and 6 to 7pm after which snow lay on the ground about 8 centimetres deep. Snow remained on the ground until late morning the following day when it melted off. The maximum temperature on the 8th was just 4.1C.

LOWEST TEMPERATURES FOR 36 YEARS - During a run of cold mornings with severe frosts, minimums of -7.1C were recorded on July 16th and 19th. These were the lowest temperatures recorded in Guyra since June 26th 1971 when it was -7.8C which was the lowest on record.

WARMEST OCTOBER ON RECORD - With an average maximum temperature of 21.2C, October 2007 was Guyra's warmest October on record from 33 years of records. The previous highest was 20.9C in 2002.

COOLEST DECEMBER FOR 8 YEARS - With an average maximum temperature of 21.3C, December 2007 was the coolest December since 1999 when it was 19.8C.

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SNOW DATES

The following is a list of all dates on which it has snowed in Guyra since 1982, including light non-settling falls.
Average annual number of snow days 1982 to 2008: 5.0

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

Above: Snow had settled high in the trees along Inn Road near Ben Lomond village,
north of Guyra in the morning of July 16th 2009. Photo by Samantha Pye.




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