Parkes has equalled its coldest July day on record following the weekend’s cold snap, according to the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM).
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
While a number of Parkes residents said Saturday, July 1 was the coldest they’ve felt in years – when it comes to the numbers, it wasn’t the coldest July day on record.
The BOM recorded Saturday’s lowest temperature at a frosty -5.6 degrees at the Parkes Airport weather station.
But believe it or not, it was just as cold as this in 2015 when it was -5.6 on July 3.
Had the temperature dropped even by 0.1 of a degree more, it would have been Parkes’ coldest July day in 20 years.
And the fun part for residents – or rather not so fun part – is the BOM said it felt more like -9.6 degrees on Saturday.
Last year the BOM recorded just -2.9, on July 14, as its lowest temperature for the month of July.
Around the region, Bathurst and Lithgow came in at a chilly -7.3 degrees, Orange -7, Young -6.6, Forbes -5.2, Cowra -5, Grenfell -4.3 and Dubbo -2.7.
While the BOM predicted Sunday, July 2 to be slightly colder than Saturday at -6 degrees in Parkes, thermometers didn’t quite get there.
Sunday came in at -4.2, but it felt like -7.6 degrees.
Young claimed the lowest temperature in the region on Sunday at -7, Bathurst and Lithgow were -6.1, Cowra -5.4 and Orange was -4.6.
Monday’s minimum temperature in Parkes was no where as cold at 2.3 degrees and it appears neither will the rest of the week with temperatures expected to be above the minuses.
Tuesday and Thursday are forecast to reach a minimum of two degrees, Wednesday four degrees, Friday one degree, and Saturday and Sunday zero.
Looking back at the month of June in Parkes, the lowest temperatures reached this year was -2.5 on June 1.
It surpassed 2016’s lowest temperature for June at -2 (on June 26) but not as low as the June record of -5 on June 15, 2006.
Peak Hill was also very close at breaking its all-time coldest record for the month of July on Saturday.
The BOM recorded temperatures dropped to -2.8 degrees at its post office weather station.
The coldest July on Peak Hill’s 52-year record was July 26, 1986 and July 13, 1997 at -3 degrees.
Last year temperatures only dropped to -0.1 on July 14.
On Sunday and Monday in Peak Hill, temperatures went the opposite direction and came in at a minimum of 0.4 and 8.9 degrees respectively.
