Bourke 26.3 at 8.51am as inland heat builds

Bourke's 22.2 night left the far west warm.

A night that never let go

The 8.51am figure at Bourke Airport was not the product of a quick warm up off a cold start, because the air had only dipped to 22.2° overnight.

Barely cooled, a minimum in the low twenties leaves very little room for the morning sun to work with before the temperature climbs again.

The running maximum at the station already stood at 26.7° when the observation was taken, so much of the warming had happened before mid morning.

Pressure of 1026.6 hPa and a northerly near 19 km/h, roughly 10 knots, point to a high sitting well out to the east and feeding warm air down the inland.

Hot to the thermometer, drier to the skin

Low humidity, relative humidity was 30 per cent at Bourke with a dew point of 7.4°, which is very dry air for a morning sitting in the mid twenties.

That dryness pulled the apparent temperature back to 22.1°, so the reading felt milder on the skin than the same number would along a humid stretch of coast.

Sweat evaporates fast in air that short on moisture, which is exactly why inland heat can be deceptive for anyone working or fishing through the middle of the day.

The flip side is fluid loss you barely notice, because the sweat is gone well before it has a chance to sit on your shirt.

Numbers across the far west

White Cliffs recorded 26.4° with humidity at 25 per cent and a dew point of 4.8°, the driest air of the inland stations at that hour.

Bigger night swing, White Cliffs fell to 17.5° overnight while Bourke held at 22.2°, a reminder that the warm air was not spread evenly.

Cobar Airport sat at 25.8° after a minimum of 21.9°, with a northerly near 22 km/h and an apparent temperature of 21.1°.

Broken Hill Airport read 25.1° off a minimum of 16.5°, while Walgett Airport was 24.4° with the freshest inland wind at about 28 km/h from the north northeast.

Brewarrina Hospital came in at 25.5° with 35 per cent humidity and a light north northeasterly, rounding out a broad band of warm and dry morning air.

The Darling at Bourke

For inland fishers, a night that holds above 22° changes the shape of the day far more than the afternoon maximum does.

Early starts win, the cool window that usually sits between first light and breakfast simply did not open at Bourke this morning.

Anyone launching at the North Bourke boat ramp is looking at a northerly breeze across the water and almost none of the dawn chill that normally takes the edge off.

Light to moderate north winds will put a ripple on the Darling River at Bourke and keep the surface moving through the warmer hours of the day.

Shade over the deck, more water than you think you need, and a plan to be off the river before the heat peaks all carry weight this week.

The same thinking applies inland at Cobar and White Cliffs, where dry heat and long drives between towns leave little margin for a flat battery or an empty bottle.

The coast is a different country

Sydney Airport was sitting at 20.2° with humidity at 71 per cent and pressure of 1030.7 hPa, a world away from the far west readings.

Canberra Airport was cooler again at 13.7°, showing how much of the warmth was locked into the northern and western inland rather than spread statewide.

Coastal note, a Strong Wind Warning covers the Hunter, Sydney, Illawarra, Batemans and Eden coasts for Thursday, so any plan afloat needs a look at conditions first.

What the setup looks like

A high over the Tasman Sea is directing an east to northeasterly flow through northern and eastern parts of the state for the next few days, with a weak trough over southwestern parts.

The Bureau of Meteorology summed up the temperature story for the rest of Thursday in one line of its state forecast, and it points straight at the inland.

Daytime temperatures generally above average, tending well-above average in the southwest.

That southwestern tilt fits the White Cliffs and Broken Hill numbers, where the weak trough and very dry air are letting the sun work unchecked.

Rest of Thursday and Friday

Isolated to scattered showers are expected along the north coast, with a chance of showers or afternoon thunderstorms elsewhere across northern and central areas, extending to the southern ranges and slopes.

Far west stays dry, the south and the far west should be dry and mostly sunny, with only patchy morning fog in the east to note.

Winds are northeast to northwesterly, tending east to northeasterly in the northeast, with fresh northeasterly sea breezes along the southern and central parts of the coast in the afternoon.

Friday brings isolated showers in the far northeast and a chance of showers or afternoon thunderstorms in southern and central districts, while the north and far west stay dry and mostly sunny.

Into the weekend

A cold front and trough will reach the Tasman Sea during the weekend, bringing a southerly change through southern and eastern parts of the state.

That change is the obvious pivot for anyone planning a weekend on the water, because the wind direction flips and the warm northeast flow breaks down.

Inland districts sit further from the action, so the far west is more likely to hold its dry and warm pattern for longer than the coastal strip.

Was 26.3° at 8.51am a spike?

No, because the overnight minimum at Bourke Airport was 22.2°, which means the air barely cooled and the morning started from an already warm base.

Why did it feel cooler than the reading?

Humidity of 30 per cent and a dew point of 7.4° pulled the apparent temperature back to 22.1°, so the dry air took the sting out of the number.

Which inland station was warmest at that hour?

White Cliffs held the top reading at 26.4°, just ahead of Bourke Airport on 26.3° and Cobar Airport on 25.8° at the same observation time.

When does the pattern break?

The cold front and trough reach the Tasman Sea over the weekend, sending a southerly change through southern and eastern districts and ending the warm northeast flow.

Is the far west expecting rain today?

The forecast has the south and the far west dry and mostly sunny, with shower and thunderstorm chances confined further north, east and along the ranges and slopes.

Check current alerts on the NSW warnings page before you head out, and line up your next session with the Brisbane wind forecast .