The climate here is at the mercy of the
Horse Latitudes high pressure belt for the grand majority of the year. Thus a distinct summer rainfall peak is observed, in stark contrast to its more poleward counterpart, the
South West Slopes (wherein a spring or winter rainfall peak is observed). The seasonal range of maximum temperatures is also strikingly narrower than that observed in the South West Slopes. Summers are long, stable and very hot, with severe thunderstorms and
supercells a frequent occurrence. Winters are considerably sunnier than those further south; cold by nightfall, though mild and sometimes even warm by day; constituting a great diurnal range and frequent, oftentimes heavy frost. Snow is a very rare occurrence in the lowlands (snow has been recorded as low as
Gunnedah), though it occurs annually on high-points such as the
Nandewar Range,
Warrumbungles and
Coolah Tops. Even so, it is far from a regular occurrence on account of the region's northern latitude. In nearly all cases, a snowfall event this far north requires a
cut-off low system: in which the coldest air bypasses the usual southern alpine regions, instead advancing in a north-northeasterly direction up the centre of New South Wales. ==See also==