Dubbo has experienced the coldest February in more than 50 years so far and if historical trends are anything to go by it’s been about five degrees colder than it should be.
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The average maximum temperature so far this month has been 27.5 degrees, while previous years have shown an average of 32 degrees.
The last lowest average maximum temperature recorded for February was 28 degrees, which occurred in 1956.
Mike De Falis from the NSW Bureau of Meteorology said Dubbo was predicted to experience a slightly warmer spell in the next couple of days, which could bump up the monthly average.
It is expected to reach 31 degrees today, 32 on Thursday and 34 on Friday.
The highest temperature so far this month was 30 degrees on February 13.
Mr De Falis said cloud cover often contributed to the lower temperatures.
While this year is considered a La Nina year - as was 1956 - the difference between now and then is the rainfall.
Mr De Falis said there has been just 40mm of rain so far this month, well below the average of 53mm.
The cooler temperatures Dubbo and the central west is experiencing is in line with what is happening across the majority of the State.
Last year, the mean maximum temperature in February was 32.1 degrees and the average rainfall was 53.2mm.
However Dubbo experienced 389.8mm of rain from November - compared to the 39.4mm that fell during the same three-month period in 2006 to 2007.
The average for that period was 151.6mm.
Meteorologists have attributed the wetter weather to La Nina, which has been experienced since about October.
Across the region Brewarrina had its wettest December in 134 years of records, and Coonabarabran and Coonamble recorded their highest December rainfall totals in 100 years of records.
So far this month Brewarrina has had 116.2mm of rain compared to just over 88mm at the end of last month.
The highest temperature recorded at the small community this month was 25 degrees.
