Canberra, Sep 19 (IANS): Australia recorded its hottest winter in history with temperatures up 2 degrees Celsius on average, a report revealed on Tuesday.

'The Hot and Dry: Australia's Weird Winter' report, released by the Climate Council, found that the average maximum temperature from June through August was 0.3 degrees Celsius higher than the previous record set in 2009. reports Xinhua news agency.

In July alone, 72 records were broken for the highest-ever winter temperature including in Sydney which set a record of 26.5 degrees Celsius.

"The average maximum temperature for Australia this winter was 23.7 Celsius, 1.9 Celsius above the 1961-1990 average (21.8 Celsius)," David Alexander, a scientist from the Climate Council, told Xinhua.

The country also experienced its driest June in history and also the driest winter since 2002.

It marks the 10th time since the year 2000 that Australia has set a new record for seasonal maximum temperatures; a trend Alexander said was set to continue.

The Climate Council warned that dry conditions meant that much of the country was at high risk of a severe bush-fire season this upcoming summer.