Australia just had its fourth warmest winter in 111 years of records.

The national mean temperature anomaly during winter 2021 was 1.18C above the 1961-1990 average. This 30-year period is the standardised baseline currently used to monitor long-term climate change in Australia.

Image: Australia's winter mean temperature anomalies between 1910 and 2021. Source: Bureau of Meteorology

Only three winters have been warmer than this year's, in records that date back to 1910. These were 1996 (+1.46ºC), 2009 (+1.42ºC) and 2013 (+1.38ºC).

Winter 2021 still had its fair share of cold snaps and snowfalls, including Sydney’s coldest day in 37 years and the best July snow depth in 21 years in the Snowy Mountains.

However, the combined tally of daily maximum and minimum temperatures registered at 112 weather stations scattered across the country reveal that it was indeed an abnormally warm winter.

Image: Mean surface temperature anomalies during winter 2021. Source: Bureau of Meteorology

Australia's mean winter temperature has increased by about 1.32ºC since 1910.