Bathurst weather: December set to be one of the hottest, driest on record

While there are still a few days left in the month, there is not much that those last few days can do to improve what has been a very hot start to summer.

As of Friday afternoon, the average maximum temperature for the month was 30.5 degrees Celsius, up four degrees on the long-term maximum temperature.

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The minimum maximum temperature was one degree higher than the long-term average, at 12.2 degrees.

Weatherzone meteorologist Tom Hough said that, with the minimum and maximum averages combined, it was currently the fourth hottest December since 1966.

Bathurst has also set a new hottest temperature record for the month after recording a maximum of 40.3 degrees on December 21.

Prior to the start of this month, the previous hottest December day on record was December 31, 2005, where it got to 37.5 degrees.

"We actually broke that three times this month, the first time on the 10^th with 37.8, then the 20^th with 38.7 and then again on the 21^st, which was the record of 40.3," Mr Hough said.

"To have that amount of heat this early in the season is really unusual."

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There has also been minimal rainfall this month, which goes well against the long-term average figure of 65.3 millimetres.

So far, Bathurst has received just 3mm, making it the fourth driest December on record.

"It's not looking like a great deal [of rain] will happen before the new year," Mr Hough said. "The best chance is probably going to be on New Year's Eve itself. That's not going to do a great deal, if anything it will be about one to five millimetres."

If the forecast is right, that could potentially push December 2019 down the list to around 10^th driest on record.

Mr Hough said the hot and dry conditions are expected to continue in January.

Temperatures are expected to be above average and, while there's meant to be more rain than in December, Bathurst is likely to see below-average rainfall for the month as a whole.