Sydney and Denali National Park, AK

As you might assume, the weather and climate of Sydney is much different than that of Denali National Park in Alaska. Sydney is mainly dominated by the Tropical Maritime Tasman air mass. Conversely, the Maritime Polar and Continental Polar air masses control Denali. The climate of Sydney is a temperate coastal climate, while the climate of Denali is a mix between transitional maritime and continental climates. 

Below are a few images to illustrate the differences of landscape between Denali and Sydney

Denali National Park
Image obtained from: travelmuse.com

Sydney, Australia
Image obtained from: beautifulplacestovisit.com

These two geographical locations are very different. Sydney is located at 34 degrees south and 151.2 degrees east, while Denali is located a 63.6 degrees north and 150.9 degrees west. The elevation of the two regions is very different as well with Sydney lying around 10 feet and Denali at 1932 feet. Needless to say, they experience vast differences in their weather and climate. Sydney's climate is regulated by the surrounding ocean, while Denali is more in the interior of Alaska, so it experiences some continentality. Denali is a very mountainous region with rugged terrain, while Sydney lies in a coastal basin. Snow is a regular site in Denali, but a rarity in Sydney. Temperatures do drop in Sydney when cold polar air is brought up from Antarctica, but nothing like the extreme cold Denali experiences. Much of the moist air that is brought up from the south and Antarctica rises due to orographic uplift over the Snowy mountains just outside of Sydney. The air condenses and drops most of its moisture in the mountains. Once the air crosses the Snowy mountains, it is dry and descends and warms at the dry adiabatic lapse rate as it runs down the leeward side of the mountains. This leaves dry air that is warmer for the Sydney basin. Denali experiences a combination of two air masses that produce interesting weather. These two air masses that dominate Denali (cP and mP) experience orographic uplift and come together at the top of the Denali mountain range where Mt. McKinley is located and produce some significant weather. The continental polar air mass is to the north, which is stable, cold, dry air that is high pressure. The maritime polar air mass lies to the south and has more moisture from the ocean and is not as cold, but it is unstable. Average temperatures in Denali range from negative single digits to mid 60's according to the Denali National Park Headquarters. Averages temperatures in Sydney are more moderate and range from the upper 70's in summer to the mid 40's in winter. 

Denali weather station and blog that I compared Sydney to: Denali National Park Blog

Currently, Denali is experiencing winter, while Sydney is moving into their summer months. At my weather station, the current temperature as of 11/12/11 is 66 degrees Fahrenheit with a relative humidity of 94%, and dew point of 64 degrees Fahrenheit. In Denali currently (11/12/11), the temperature is 11 degrees Fahrenheit with a relative humidity of 91% and a dew point of 9 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Below are some weather maps to help illustrate weather conditions in each location. 

This is a weather forecast map of Alaska. This map is updating continually, but as of 11/15/11,
Denali is experiencing some high pressure, with some snow to the north.
There is an occluded front off the coast, and it looks like a cold front to the south.
Image obtained from: National Weather Service

This is a current weather map of Australia. This map is continually updating, but as of 11/15/11,
There is a high pressure system off the coast, but a low moving down from the north
Image obtained from: Weatherzone.com 

This is the IR satellite image of Alaska.
This image shows the cloud cover and the temperature of the clouds.
Image obtained from: The Weather Channel

This is a close up satellite image for the New South Wales and

Sydney region showing the cloud cover.

Image obtained from: www.weatherzone.com.au