Australia has second wettest spring on record, with parts of country coldest in decades

Large parts of Australia shivered through the coldest spring in decades this year, with Sydney and Melbourne failing to record a single 30C day, as drenching rains contributed to the second-wettest spring on record.

The weather was particularly rare considering the influence of global heating, which is contributing to warmer seasons. It was only the second time in the past 20 years the mean maximum across Australia was below the long-term average for spring.

For some western suburbs of Sydney, including Penrith, it was the first spring on record not to see 30C, as cloudy conditions pushed down maximums.

Melbourne, which usually has at least four 30C days in spring, and Canberra, which usually has at least three, also failed to reach the milestone.

Perth experienced some sweltering conditions, but its three days of 30C or above were still well below normal. The capital city averages 10 days of 30C or higher in spring.

Hobart had a colder spring in 2021, while Darwin experiences tropical conditions.

Forecasters blamed the cool weather on the La Niña pattern, which contributed to frequent rain and unseasonably active cold fronts sweeping north from the Southern Ocean.

As flooding continued to wreak havoc on regional communities, this spring was also the second wettest on record in Australia and the wettest for Victoria, NSW and the Murray Darling basin.

The south-east highlands were greeted with blankets of snow multiple times in November.