Does this look like winter to you? July data proves Port Macquarie was hotter than usual

Weatherzone has confirmed Port Macquarie experienced warmer than usual temperatures in July, 2023.

The average maximum was 20.4 degrees at Port Macquarie Airport. Whereas the long-term maximum average for the month is 19 degrees.

Meteorologist Corine Brown said over the past few days, cooler winds dragged by a front in Tasmania have failed to reach the east coast because of the mountains.

Areas east of the Great Dividing Range had been quite warm as a result, although it did get a bit chilly west of the divide.

The temperature topped almost 25 degrees in Port Macquarie on Sunday, July 30, making it the warmest day of July.

That followed a maximum of 23.8 degrees the previous day

Temperatures are set to cool down a little in the next week.

"It will still be warmer than normal but not quite as warm as we have seen over the past few days," Ms Brown said.

"Generally, we do have a slightly cooler air mass in place."

Looking ahead, the Bureau of Meteorology has yet to declare an El Nino event but it has issued an alert.

During El Nino, there is a higher chance of drier weather in eastern Australia and it's more likely to be warmer than usual for the southern two-thirds of Australia.

In the meantime, plants are responding to the warmer July conditions.

Bonny Hills Garden Centre plant purchaser Mal McKinlay said the sunshine was initiating flowering in plants.

"I see a lot of the magnolias, deciduous magnolias in particular, flowering earlier and certainly flowering beautifully," he said.

New growth is starting to emerge on deciduous trees, the wattles are putting on a show and the azaleas are blooming.

Bonny Hills Garden Centre is also starting to see a "big demand" for fruit trees in tandem with the warmer temperatures.

"Having the sun out motivates people to get outside and they get inspired to start thinking flowering gardens and spring-summer vegetables," Mr McKinlay said.

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