THE warmest winter day in more than a decade has been recorded as Newcastle gets ready to welcome spring.
The city was tipped to reach 30 degrees on Friday but the temperature peaked at 28.2 degrees at 2.30pm on Friday, August 30, according to the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) weather station at Nobbys.
It was the warmest maximum temperature this winter season, narrowly beating August 28, when locals were treated to a sunny but windy 28-degree day.
The windy Friday also marked the hottest winter day in Newcastle since August 2012, when the BOM weather station at Nobbys recorded a top temperature of 29.4 degrees.
The early start to spring has been heaven for surfers, swimmers, bike riders, runners and walkers, who have been making the most of the sunny days by flocking to the beaches and baths.
August was also relatively dry in Newcastle, with the BOM gauge recording 14.6mm of rain across the month.
It's the lowest amount of August rainfall since 2012, when just 4.8mm fell.
Sunday, September 1, will mark the start of spring, and the warm weather is set to continue.
The BOM has forecast a top of 26 degrees in Newcastle on August 31, the last day of winter 2024, and spring is expected to fire up on Sunday with temperatures of up to 28 degrees and winds.
