<P> Rain hours are longer in the winter than in the summer . In the warm months, rain comes in heavy downpours in the afternoons, usually cooling the conditions . Sometimes these afternoon showers give away to the sun again . In the cool months, the rain is moderate and it would linger on for the whole day . In some days, rain may come in drizzle form . Even in its months of highest rainfall Sydney has relatively few rainy days, on average less than 13 rainy days per month . </P> <P> In the cool months, Sydney CBD is more prone to rain than the inland suburbs, mainly due to the wonted east coast low that strikes between the months of May and August . The low would usually dump more rain in the CBD than the inland areas, usually by 20 mm (0.79 in) or more . Also in winter, thanks to onshore winds and Sydney's coastal proximity, the CBD would be susceptible to some light rain and drizzle--these conditions usually don't penetrate the inland suburbs . However, the western suburbs are more inclined to have heavy rain and thunder in the summer . </P> <P> The city is rarely affected by cyclones, although remnants of ex-cyclones do affect the city . The city is prone to severe hail storms, such as the 1947 Sydney hailstorm, wind storms, and flash flooding from rain caused either by East Coast Lows (during autumn - winter periods) and ex-tropical cyclone remnants (during summer periods). East Coast Lows are low pressure depressions that can bring significant damage by heavy rain, cyclonic winds and huge swells . Scientists have predicted that rainfall will become more unpredictable and temperatures will be on the rise . </P> <P> A notable event was the great Sydney flood which occurred on 6 August 1986 (unusual in that month) and dumped a record 327.6 mm (12.90 in) on the city in 24 hours . This caused major traffic problems and damage in many parts of the metropolitan area . The next notable event was the 1999 hailstorm, which caused severe damage in many suburbs . The storm produced hailstones of up to 9 cm (3.5 in) in diameter and resulted in insurance losses of around A $1.7 billion in less than five hours . </P>

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