NUMEROUS records have been broken in NSW this month as the state experiences a dry and unseasonably hot start to spring.
As of 9am Wednesday, most places in NSW had recorded less than 20pc of their average September rainfall.
Tenterfield was one of more than 15 weather stations in the state that recorded no rainfall during the first 27 days of September.
This has only happened on one other occasion (1963) in the site’s 147 year history.
Katoomba's running total of 0.6mm was their lowest on record up to this point in September.
The arid start to spring in NSW follows the state’s driest August in four years and driest winter since 2002.
Prior to 2017, no location in NSW had registered a temperature of 40 degrees during September.
Last Saturday, this mark was reached at Wilcannia (40.5C), White Cliffs (40.3C), Wanaaring (40.2C) and Bourke (40C).
Seven sites in NSW exceeded the previous September state record of 39.6 degrees on that day.
As if last weekend's unprecedented September heat wasn't enough, a pulse of even hotter air targeted the state's north during the middle of this week.
At the time of writing, maximum temperatures were forecast to reach 41 to 42 degrees in the Upper Western District of NSW during Wednesday afternoon. This would re-break the four-day old September record set at Wilcannia (40.5C) last weekend.
This coming Saturday will be almost 20 degrees cooler in north-west NSW, with Wilcannia forecast to reach a top of just 23 degrees.
A pulse of cold air behind a front will even bring a burst of fresh snow to the alps on Saturday, providing some fresh cover on the Snowy Mountains for the long weekend.
One positive outcome of the recent dry weather has been the ability of Australia’s alps to maintain a healthy late-season snow base.
Last Thursday’s natural snow depth at Spencers Creek was 240.9cm, the best depth in 17 years and the highest level this late in the season since 1996.