The mercury strayed north of 20 degrees across the Hunter again on Tuesday as the region enjoyed an unseasonably warm winter spell.
Newcastle reached a maximum of 20.3 degrees on Tuesday at Nobbys beach, above the city's average winter temperature for the seventh day in a row but four degrees cooler than Sunday's maximum of 24.4.
Newcastle's maximum daily temperature is forecast to stay above 20 degrees until at least Monday, including predicted highs of 23 on Thursday and 24 on Friday.
Temperatures reached a maximum of 25.1 degrees on Saturday at Maitland Airport, just shy of the weather station's July record of 25.9.
The temperature topped out at 22.1 degrees on the first day of August in Maitland, 20.1 at Williamtown, 21.6 at Cooranbong and 23.6 at Scone.
The Hunter's above-average temperatures are forecast to continue through spring and into summer as an El Nino weather pattern takes hold.
Lake Macquarie snake catcher Colin Shoemark said he had taken a "lot of calls" last weekend, though it was not uncommon for red-bellied black snakes to become active as spring approached.
"I've had calls from Glendale TAFE and a couple of schools," he said.
Newcastle's monthly rainfall in the past two months has totalled 62.4 millimetres, less than one third of the historical average over the two months.
