Just last week Canberra recorded its coldest morning in 17 years and today meteorologists could be heading for the winter record books again, but not because of the chill factor.
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According to the Bureau of Meteorology, Canberra is headed for a predicted top of 21 degrees today, which will make it the hottest start to August in nine years.
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Bureau meteorologist Sean Carson said if that temperature is reached, then it will be the warmest day this early in August since 2002, when the mercury hit 24 degrees on August 11.
"It will be the earliest we will have reached such temperatures, so close to the depth of winter [the solstice]," he said.
Mr Carson said there was a 70per cent chance that temperatures would be above average for the next few months.
"August is going to warm up," he said. "The second half of August is the windiest time of the year and wind is an inhibitor of cold temperatures."
The boost in temperature follows a month of impressive extremes in the national capital, after July recorded both above average maximums and below average lows.
The bureau recorded an average low of minus 0.7 degrees last month, with all nights cooler than 5 degrees and three consecutive nights below minus 6, the first such period since July 1971.
July also recorded the coldest night in 17 years, with an overnight low of minus 8 degrees on Friday.
Mr Carson said the Canberra region had also experienced a dry spell, with five consecutive months of below average rainfall.
However, he said the drier months were not a signal of impending El Nino conditions.
"Last summer it was pretty obvious we were heading towards a La Nina situation," he said. "But it's looking pretty neutral now."
The capital reached a top of 17.8 degrees yesterday, with locals such as kayaker Russ Swinnerton taking advantage of the sunshine at Lake Burley Griffin.
"On such a beautiful day like today, it'd be a crime not to go for a paddle on the lake," he said.
The warmer weather is also enticing locals back into the garden, according to Rodneys Nursery and Garden Centre manager Greg Margieson.
"We're getting busier every week," he said. "People are coming out of hibernation and getting active in the garden again."
Mr Margieson said bright flowers such as pansies were big sellers throughout August, as Canberrans tried to inject colour back into their gardens.
"It's always so brown here, even in a wet winter," he said.
"People are always looking to brighten up their homes a little bit."