Air Masses Affecting Sydney

According to the Australian Bureau of Meteorology, the major air mass affecting the weather of Sydney is the Tropical Maritime Tasman air mass, which comes out of the North Tasman Sea. This is a warm and moist air mass that is unstable. Often times, this air mass produces clouds and precipitation along the eastern coast of Australia. Since the Blue Mountains lie to the west of Sydney, there is a considerable amount of orographic uplift that occurs, which produces precipitation in the Sydney basin. This air mass influences Sydney most of the year, but diminishes slightly during the winter months. Similarly, the Southern Maritime air mass affects Sydney and brings cool and moist air that is unstable on the surface, but stable above. This produces cloudy weather along with some light precipitation. Another air mass that has the potential to affect Sydney is the Modified Polar Maritime. This air mass is cold, moist and unstable. It is coming up from the latitude of about 55 degrees south and has the potential to affect southern Australia and Sydney in the winter time. Warm and cold fronts play a integral role in the weather and climate of Sydney. As shown in the weather map below, there is a cold front in the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand. Sydney does experience mid-latitude cyclones that are associated with the Pacific Ocean. Mid-latitude cyclones bring high pressure to Sydney and the New South Wales coast and will generate high ocean swells along the coast. Since Sydney is located on the coast, the climate is regulated by the ocean and the maritime air mass associated with that. 


Below are some images of current weather maps for the Australian region.

This is a synoptic weather map showing the high and low pressure systems currently occurring in Australia. Sydney is currently right under a high pressure system, resulting in clear and dry conditions. There is a low pressure trough penetrating it's way down the eastern coast and making its way to Sydney and NSW. This low pressure trough will result in some cool wind and cloudy conditions, which may produce some precipitation over Sydney. You can also see the jet stream (light blue) drawing up cold air from the polar regions, which has the potential to affect the weather in Sydney.
Image obtained from: http://www.weatherzone.com.au

This is the current weather conditions for Australia. Currently, there is a high pressure system that is spinning counter clockwise over New South Wales where Sydney is located, which is producing dry and clear sky's. But as you can see, there is a low pressure trough to the north that will bring winds and some precipitation to the Sydney area around Wednesday November 2.
Image obtained from: Australian Bureau of Meteorology.

      

This is a weather map showing high and low pressure systems along with the low pressure trough that will be affecting Sydney on Wednesday November 2. This map also shows a cold front off in the Tasman Sea, just south of Sydney and a warm front further west that is following in behind it.
Image obtained from: Australian Bureau of Meterology