Sometimes, the statistics don't tell the whole story.

Sydney reached a top of 23.2°C just after midday today, so August 23 was officially the equal second-warmest day of August 2022 to date. Then the cold front struck town, and everything changed in minutes.

By 3 pm, which is usually pretty close to the warmest time of day in winter, it was just 10.2°C.

• Throw in the wind and rain and the "feels like" temp (technically known as the apparent temperature) was a bone-chilling 1.8°C.
• For the record, the average 3 pm temperature in Sydney in August is 17.5°C.
• Also of note, Sydney's 10.2°C was more than a degree cooler than Melbourne's 11.5°C at 3 pm

Little wonder that locals were asking why Sydney was as cold as Antarctica today.

Why is Sydney as cold as Antarctica today?

— erfaan (@erfaanarif) August 23, 2022

So why was Sydney so cold?

As mentioned, a strong cold front surged its way northwards, ushering in a cold airmass with polar origins. But that's only half the story.

Southerly winds set in behind the front, dragging additional moisture towards the coast. Interestingly, southerly winds are an onshore wind along much of the NSW coast, because of the SW to NE slant of the coastline.

Once the cold air had well and truly set in, persistent cloud and rain forced temperatures down even further. It really was quite a frigid arvo out there in Sydney today.

Sydney will stay cool on Wednesday, with a top temp of 17°C expected. The mercury might touch 20°C on Thursday, but the pattern for the next week or so is for tops in the high teens, with showers likely most days.

So after a 10-day run with only a verly light sprinkle of rain on one day, it's back to the classic Sydney 2022 pattern of take an umbrella anywhere, anytime, any day. At least the days won't be as cold as the bitter mid-afternoon period on Tuesday.