El Niño in Sydney
During El Niño, Sydney gets on average 9% less rain in May–July than in neutral years (183 mm vs 202 mm).
Weather in Sydney: next 7 days
Sydney
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Weather forecast: MET Norway (CC BY 4.0), updated every hour. For official warnings, follow your national weather service.
El Niño is active right now: the El Niño columns show what Sydney typically sees in this phase.
Monthly rainfall by phase
El NiñoNeutralLa Niña
Month by month
| Month | El Niño | Neutral | La Niña | Change El Niño | Temp. El Niño / neutral |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 92 mm | 85 mm | 97 mm | +9% | 22.7 / 22.6 °C |
| February | 117 mm | 132 mm | 106 mm | -12% | 22.9 / 22.5 °C |
| March | 100 mm | 99 mm | 139 mm | +1% | 21.8 / 21.5 °C |
| April | 92 mm | 84 mm | 123 mm | +10% | 19.5 / 19.6 °C |
| May | 53 mm | 76 mm | 66 mm | -30% | 17.1 / 17.1 °C |
| June | 83 mm | 80 mm | 62 mm | +4% | 14.6 / 14.6 °C |
| July | 47 mm | 47 mm | 132 mm | +1% | 13.6 / 13.6 °C |
| August | 50 mm | 61 mm | 84 mm | -19% | 14.7 / 14.1 °C |
| September | 55 mm | 44 mm | 68 mm | +26% | 16.2 / 16.1 °C |
| October | 67 mm | 65 mm | 74 mm | +4% | 18.1 / 17.9 °C |
| November | 67 mm | 86 mm | 113 mm | -22% | 19.9 / 19.1 °C |
| December | 79 mm | 67 mm | 77 mm | +17% | 21.2 / 21.5 °C |
NASA POWER (MERRA-2), 1981–2025, classified by NOAA ONI. Averages, not a forecast.
Frequently asked questions
How does El Niño affect Sydney?
During El Niño, Sydney gets on average 9% less rain in May–July than in neutral years (183 mm vs 202 mm).
And La Niña?
In May–July, La Niña years average 260 mm, compared with 202 mm in neutral years.
Where does this data come from?
Monthly rainfall and temperature from NASA POWER (MERRA-2 reanalysis, 1981–2025) at -33.87, 151.21, classified by NOAA's Oceanic Niño Index for each month. These are averages; each event is different.