North Wollongong, Stanwell Park and Windang beaches were closed early in the day, while lifeguards pulled up the flags at Wollongong City beach about 3.45pm as messy sets of one to 1.5 metre waves rolled in.

Poor sea conditions aside, it has still been a day to leave the Speedos and bikinis at home - temperatures have barely nudged 21 degrees and gusty southerly winds meant it felt more like 15 degrees for much of the day.

The cool weather did bring some respite for lifesavers and lifeguards a day after they made a record 700 rescues across NSW.

A brief glimpse of summer on Sunday - temperatures hit a relatively balmy 27.5 degrees at Albion Park - brought thousands to beaches up and down the state’s coast.

The combination of warm weather and big surf proved a dangerous recipe, Surf Life Saving New South Wales spokeswoman Donna Wishart said.

‘‘Seven hundred rescues is a very significant number for a single day,’’ she said, adding that the previous record of about 500 rescues was set on Australia Day last year.

‘‘It was just a combination of the first sunny day ... and big surf,’’ she said.

‘‘It caught everybody a bit by surprise. The volunteers did an amazing job.’’

Last weekend may have been the last time Sydney and Illawarra residents see the sun for a while, with meteorologists declaring summer almost a complete write off.

Weather Channel senior meteorologist Tom Saunders said Sydney was on track for its coldest summer since 1965 with an average temperature so far at a touch over 21 degrees.

Rain is predicted for the Illawarra for all but three of the remaining days of February, with temperatures forecast to remain firmly in the mid-20s.