ERA5 almanac — 8 years of real data

Sydney in February

Sydney in February: 48% of days see measurable rain, 79°F average high, 22% of days historically clear (n=226, ERA5 2018–2025).

Sydney in February is historically a poor month for sun: only 22% of days clear across 8 years (n=226, avg high 79°F). December is the clearest month for Sydney historically. Historical average, not a forecast.

What you are reading: 8-year historical averages from the ERA5 reanalysis, not a forecast. A month that is historically 90% clear can still be overcast on your specific trip. For this week’s actual forecast, see the live Sydney page. Both can be true at once: “historically strong in this month; this particular week is not.” We label which is which.

Early vs. Late February

Clear-sky percentage for Sydney in February, split by half-month. “n” is the number of days sampled across 8 years (2018–2025).
Period	% Clear days	Sample (n)	Avg high
Early February 1st–15th	23%	n=120	79°F
Late February 16th–end	21%	n=106	79°F
Full month average	22%	n=226	79°F

Sunshine & warmth in February

A second measure using actual sunshine hours (ERA5 sunshine_duration), not the daily weather code. A Lowcountry day with 12 hours of sun and a 25-minute afternoon storm is counted below as a warm, sunny day — because it was. How we define this.

Sunshine-based metrics for Sydney in February. Primary: % of days ≥ 72°F with > 6 h of sunshine.
Period	Warm & sunny (≥72°F, >6 h sun)	Sample (n)
Early February 1st–15th	83%	n=120
Late February 16th–end	78%	n=106
Full month average	81%	n=226

11.9 h median sunshine per day 80% of days exceed 8 h sunshine 48% of days see ≥ 1 mm rain — rain is not hidden

Comparison (old vs new): WMO-code “clear” bar: 22%. Sunshine-based “warm & sunny”: 81%. The 59-point gap is from brief afternoon convective storms that stamp the whole day as “rain” in the WMO code but leave the bulk of the sunshine untouched.

Bottom line

Sydney is mostly overcast in February historically: only 22% of days are clear across 8 years (n=226), avg high 79°F. If you want sun in Sydney, December is historically much better. Most visitors this month will see more clouds than sun.

→ See all destinations in December — historically the best month for sun in Sydney.

Every month in Sydney

Compare across all months with data. Numbers are historical clear-sky %.

Historical clear-sky % for Sydney, all months, ERA5 2018–2025.
Month	% Clear	Sample (n)
January	31%	n=248	All destinations →
February ← this page	22%	n=226	All destinations →
March	21%	n=248	All destinations →
April	24%	n=240	All destinations →
May	8%	n=248	All destinations →
June	0%	n=240	All destinations →
July	2%	n=248	All destinations →
August	5%	n=248	All destinations →
September	23%	n=240	All destinations →
October	27%	n=248	All destinations →
November	26%	n=240	All destinations →
December	33%	n=248	All destinations →

Frequently asked

Does it rain in Sydney in February?

Sometimes. Sydney sees measurable rain on 48% of days in February historically (n=226 days, ERA5 2018–2025) — not frequent enough to plan around, but not negligible either.

Is Sydney good for sun in February?

Not usually. Sydney is historically overcast in February: only 22% of days are clear (avg high 79°F, n=226 days, ERA5 2018–2025). December is historically far better for sun here.

→ Sydney live forecast — this week’s actual 7-day weather, not historical
→ Best destinations in February — all destinations ranked by February clear-sky %
→ All destinations
→ Raw data (JSON) — buckets, n, source

All percentages are historical averages from the ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, 8 full years (2018–2025). “Clear” means avg high ≥ 72 °F, precipitation < 1 mm, and a non-precipitation weather code. This is history, not a forecast. The live 7-day outlook for any destination is on its own page and may differ from the long-run average. Data from Open-Meteo.