Urban Climate Index
Urban Climate Index for Greater Sydney in August 2026: climate across 33 municipalities
Written by Eduardo Garcia · Co-founder / CEO / CTOPublished 20 September 2026
#Urban-Climate-Index#Greater-Sydney#Australia#August-2026
This map is Greater Sydney in August, on the Tasman Sea. Cooler ground sits west, in the mountains. Warmer ground sits toward the coast.
On 4 August the ground temperature reached 0.2°C, and on 20 August it reached 37.2°C. Both readings use the same scale so the contrast is visible.
The Urban Climate Index for Greater Sydney, on the Tasman Sea, ranks the climate of August 2026 across 33 municipalities. Bayside leads this list, at a temperature of 21.6°C, and Blue Mountains closes it.
If you live here or you are thinking of doing so, look at which municipalities ran warmer or cooler that August, and where you would like to spend more time.
The same index, across 18 zones of Sydney City Council, is another reading. Greater Sydney and Sydney City Council do not mix.
Warmer end of the ranking
Bayside leads this list toward the coast, at a temperature of 21.6°C. Waverley and Randwick follow it. Sydney in this ranking is one municipality of Greater Sydney, the city core as a whole, at a temperature of 21.0°C. The five best places are:
Five best places. Urban Climate Index, Greater Sydney, August 2026.
| Rank | Municipality | Surface |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bayside | 21.6°C |
| 2 | Waverley | 21.4°C |
| 3 | Randwick | 21.3°C |
| 4 | Sydney | 21.0°C |
| 5 | Woollahra | 20.7°C |
Cooler end of the ranking
The cooler ground closes the list. Blue Mountains is last of 33, at a temperature of 13.7°C. Hornsby, Wollondilly, The Hills Shire and Hawkesbury sit among the five worst places. The west runs cooler on the ground and in the air.
Five worst places. Urban Climate Index, Greater Sydney, August 2026.
| Rank | Municipality | Surface |
|---|---|---|
| 33 | Blue Mountains | 13.7°C |
| 32 | Hornsby | 16.9°C |
| 31 | Wollondilly | 18.2°C |
| 30 | The Hills Shire | 18.1°C |
| 29 | Hawkesbury | 18.3°C |
Why the ranking uses urban ground
The map is Greater Sydney as a whole: streets, parks, mountains, farms and bush. The ranking of the 33 municipalities uses urban ground, so a town is ranked on its streets and parks, and the bush around it stays on the map.
Urban ground here is 4,092 km² of the 12,759 km² area of interest. The Blue Mountains keep a small share of streets and towns. Parks inside the city stay in the ranking, because they sit inside the town.
Ground and stations this August
Twenty two meteorological stations cover the 33 municipalities. Each municipality takes air, humidity and rain from the nearest station. Bayside takes air at 15.3°C. Blue Mountains takes air at 10.1°C.
The August mean for the whole area of interest, mountains and bush included, sits at 16.1°C. A single satellite day can run cooler or hotter: on 4 August the temperature reached 0.2°C, and on 20 August it reached 37.2°C.
These figures are the August mean for Greater Sydney, mountains and bush included: 16.1°C ground. Air, humidity and rain come from the stations: 12.9°C, 65% and 42.8 mm.
The ground sits hotter than the air: 16.1°C surface against 12.9°C. The index is ordered with both readings.
Ryde sits halfway down the list
Ryde sits in 17th place of 33, at a temperature of about 20.7°C on average, about halfway down the list. Anyone looking for warmer ground this August looks toward Bayside, Waverley and Randwick.
How this August is built
This August brings together the usable satellite scenes after the cloud filter. Ground and station air are two different readings; the index uses both.
Other cities and months are on our blog.
Conclusion
In August the satellite sees warmer ground toward the coast and cooler ground toward the Blue Mountains. The mean for the whole area of interest sits at 16.1°C.
Bayside sits in first place and Blue Mountains in last place.
Knowing this, where would you like to spend more time next August in Greater Sydney, on the Tasman Sea?
Questions
What do I do with this ranking?
It ranks that August’s climate for people who live here or are thinking of doing so. Rent and schools sit outside the score. The question is where you would like to spend more time next August.
What is the Urban Climate Index in this text?
The August 2026 reading for Greater Sydney, on the Tasman Sea: 33 municipalities, land surface temperature and official meteorological stations. This article shows the five best and the five worst; the full ranking downloads here.
Where is the full ranking?
The ranking of 33 downloads on this page: rank, municipality and mean surface.
What is the 16.1°C on the cards?
The August mean for Greater Sydney as a whole, mountains and bush included. The ranking of municipalities uses urban ground: 4,092 km² of that 12,759 km² area of interest.
Why does Bayside lead and Blue Mountains close?
August is winter in Sydney. Bayside sits in first place, at a temperature of 21.6°C, toward the coast. Blue Mountains closes it, at a temperature of 13.7°C. Twenty two meteorological stations cover the 33 municipalities: Bayside takes air at 15.3°C, and Blue Mountains takes air at 10.1°C.
Where does Ryde sit?
Ryde sits in 17th place of 33, at a temperature of about 20.7°C, about halfway down the list.
Is Sydney in this ranking the same as Sydney City Council?
Sydney here is one municipality of Greater Sydney, the city core as a whole. The 18 zones of Sydney City Council are another reading of the same index.
Talk to us about the climate of your city
If your city is not here, write with the place. We set up the ranking of barrios or zones.
Talk to us