Sydney climate
Sydney (Nova Scotia, Canada) has a warm-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb). The average temperature over the year is 7 °C44 °F, and about 1,224 mm48 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Sydney climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin | Frost days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | −131 | −621 | −326 | 1094.3 | 29 |
| Feb | −130 | −719 | −424 | 973.8 | 28 |
| Mar | 134 | −524 | −229 | 883.4 | 29 |
| Apr | 541 | −131 | 236 | 993.9 | 18 |
| May | 1050 | 439 | 745 | 873.4 | 1 |
| Jun | 1560 | 948 | 1254 | 1064.2 | 0 |
| Jul | 2170 | 1558 | 1864 | 773.0 | 0 |
| Aug | 2272 | 1662 | 1967 | 913.6 | 0 |
| Sep | 1966 | 1355 | 1661 | 963.8 | 0 |
| Oct | 1356 | 846 | 1151 | 1204.7 | 0 |
| Nov | 846 | 337 | 541 | 1184.6 | 6 |
| Dec | 337 | −229 | 033 | 1365.4 | 22 |
| Year | 2272 | −719 | 744 | 1,22448 | 134 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total. Frost days are for the whole grid cell.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 87% | 88% | 1.0 | 9:00 |
| Feb | 87% | 82% | 1.7 | 10:16 |
| Mar | 85% | 77% | 2.9 | 11:46 |
| Apr | 85% | 73% | 4.2 | 13:29 |
| May | 85% | 72% | 5.1 | 14:57 |
| Jun | 85% | 70% | 5.4 | 15:45 |
| Jul | 84% | 66% | 5.5 | 15:25 |
| Aug | 81% | 65% | 4.9 | 14:09 |
| Sep | 80% | 64% | 3.7 | 12:28 |
| Oct | 82% | 74% | 2.2 | 10:49 |
| Nov | 84% | 83% | 1.2 | 9:22 |
| Dec | 85% | 89% | 0.8 | 8:38 |
Humid. = average relative humidity at 2 m; cloud = average cloud amount; solar = average daily solar energy reaching the ground in kWh/m² (all-sky); daylight in hours:minutes, calculated for the 15th of each month.
What the climate of Sydney is like
The warmest month is August, with an average high of 22 °C72 °F and a low of 16 °C62 °F. The coldest is February, when highs average −1 °C30 °F and lows −7 °C19 °F. Seasons are strongly marked: the warmest month is on average 23.7 °C42.6 °F warmer than the coldest.
It is wet, with about 1,224 mm48 in of precipitation per year. Rain is spread fairly evenly through the year. The wettest month is December (136 mm5.4 in), the driest is July (77 mm3.0 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 80% in September to 87% in February. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 64%) are typical of September. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 18 km/h (11 mph) in July to 25 km/h (15 mph) in February. Daylight lasts from about 8.6 hours in December to 15.7 hours in June.
A lasting snow cover is typical in December–April, when the average snow depth in the reanalysis exceeds 10 cm (deepest in February, about 20 cm).
Best time to visit Sydney
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are July and August: average highs of 21 °C70 °F to 22 °C72 °F with 77 mm3.0 in to 91 mm3.6 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is February, which is cold, with average highs of −1 °C30 °F.
Comfort score: months are ranked by how close they come to an average high of 21–28 °C (70–82 °F), lows above 5 °C (41 °F), little precipitation and moderate humidity. The best-ranked months of each place are recommended, even where none meets all of these. These are general rules of thumb applied to long-term averages.
What to pack for Sydney
- Winter (December–February) — highs −130 to 3 °C37 °F, lows −719 to −2 °C29 °F, about 114 mm4.5 in of precipitation a month. Pack a winter coat, hat, gloves and warm, non-slip boots, shoes with good grip, as frost is common and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Spring (March–May) — highs 134 to 10 °C50 °F, lows −524 to 4 °C39 °F, about 91 mm3.6 in of precipitation a month. Pack a warm coat, layers and closed shoes, shoes with good grip, as frost is common and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Summer (June–August) — highs 1560 to 22 °C72 °F, lows 948 to 16 °C62 °F, about 91 mm3.6 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Autumn (September–November) — highs 846 to 19 °C66 °F, lows 337 to 13 °C55 °F, about 111 mm4.4 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
How Sydney compares
Compared with Halifax, about 313 km to the southwest, Sydney is on average 0.4 °C0.7 °F cooler and receives 6% less precipitation (1,224 mm48 in vs 1,300 mm51 in). The difference is largest in March (1.3 °C2.3 °F cooler).
Of the 40 places in Canada covered by World Climates, Sydney is the 24th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 9th wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the Canada climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern: Kushiro (Japan, Dfb), Saint-Pierre (Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Dfc) and Tomakomai (Japan, Dfb).
Nearby places
- Halifax 313 km · 7 °C45 °F · 1,300 mm51 in
- Saint-Pierre 315 km · 6 °C43 °F · 1,176 mm46 in
- St. Johns 590 km · 5 °C42 °F · 1,300 mm51 in
- Québec 847 km · 5 °C41 °F · 1,146 mm45 in
- Saguenay 858 km · 3 °C38 °F · 972 mm38 in
- Sherbrooke 912 km · 6 °C42 °F · 1,135 mm45 in
- Trois-Rivières 950 km · 5 °C41 °F · 1,054 mm42 in
- Manchester 958 km · 9 °C48 °F · 1,181 mm46 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Sydney?
August is the warmest month in Sydney, with an average high of 22 °C (72 °F) and an average low of 16 °C (62 °F).
What is the coldest month in Sydney?
February is the coldest month, with an average high of -1 °C (30 °F) and an average low of -7 °C (19 °F).
When does it rain the most in Sydney?
December is the wettest month with about 136 mm (5.4 in) of precipitation; July is the driest with about 77 mm (3.0 in).
What is the best time to visit Sydney?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are July and August.
About this data
All figures are 25-year averages (January 2001 – December 2025) from the NASA POWER project. Temperature, humidity, wind and precipitation come from the MERRA-2 reanalysis (precipitation is the bias-corrected MERRA-2 product), cloud and solar values from CERES satellite data. They describe a grid cell of roughly 50–70 km, not a single weather station, so they can differ from airport records — most of all on coasts, in mountains and for rainfall. Average highs and lows are the monthly mean temperature plus/minus half of the average daily temperature range. Counts of rainy days are not part of this dataset.