“Next Wednesday we are forecasting 30 degrees, but that’s dependent on cloud cover and the easterly sea breeze might come in early and cap that temperature,” he said.

Temperatures are forecast in the mid-20s for most of the coming week, but southerly winds are expected to return later next week.

“There is a chance we could see those westerly and north-westerly winds return in February and possibly into March before we start cooling down for the year,” Narramore said.

The long-term average top temperature for Sydney next week is 25.7 degrees.

The bureau is predicting a 54 per cent chance of an unusually cool February, with average top temperatures of 24.9 degrees and just a 4 per cent chance of unusually warm average temperatures of 28.8 degrees or more for the month.

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Across western Sydney, record-low spring average daily maximum temperatures were recorded at Richmond RAAF (23.1 degrees), Penrith Lakes (23.6), Canterbury Park Racecourse (21.8), and the Sydney International Equestrian Centre at Horsley Park was a full degree cooler than average at 22 degrees, the bureau reported.

With average top temperatures half a degree warmer than the 1961-1990 average, 2022 was Australia’s equal-22nd-warmest year on record since 1910.

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