South Australia experiences second driest year on record, with conditions likely to persist through spring
The state’s farmers are hanging out for follow-up rain to help turn around what has been a tough season in many parts of SA.
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South Australia has recorded its second driest January to August rainfall since records began in 1900.
And the latest Bureau of Meteorology outlook does not look promising for primary producers this spring, with much of Australia likely to experience warmer and drier than average conditions in the coming three months.
Bureau of Meteorology senior climatologist Darren Ray said year-to-date rainfall was just 41 per cent of the state’s average.
“The only year with drier January to August rainfall was 1929, when SA only had 40 per cent of its average rainfall,” he said.
Winter rainfall was below, to very much below average, across most of the state, making it SA’s tenth-driest winter on record and the driest since 2007. These records stretch from the start of June to the end of August.
Mount Ive in the Gawler Range recorded its lowest winter rainfall ever at a mere 28mm, with its previous low 29mm back in 1885.
Adelaide rainfall has been close to average at 165mm.
Bureau head of long-range forecasting Dr Andrew Watkins said, unfortunately, the outlook was not indicating an easing of conditions in drought areas, with a positive Indian Ocean Dipole the main climate driver.
“A positive IOD means we have cooler than average waters between Australia and Indonesia. This generally means less cloud than normal forms to the northwest of Australia, resulting in less rainfall and higher than average temperatures over central and southeastern Australia during winter and spring,” he said.
“El Nino Southern Oscillation, the other main driver, remains neutral, meaning it’s having little influence over Australia’s climate right now.”
The bureau’s spring outlook for SA is showing daytime temperatures are likely to be above average; overnight temperatures are likely to be above average in the north of the state, with no strong push over southern parts of the state, and drier than average conditions are likely over most of the state.
Adding a double whammy to the dry conditions, the returns producers are receiving for wool has plummeted, with the average price falling to 1375 cents a kilogram last week, its lowest level since December 2016.
The market has come back a massive 741 cents a kilogram on the record high of 2116 cents a kilogram set in August last year.
Livestock SA president Joe Keynes said wool prices were still historically solid, but it was concerning that they were dropping weekly.
“Wool prices haven’t found a bottom point as yet,” he said.
Mr Keynes said there was a lot riding on conditions across the next few weeks.
“A lot of places haven’t had a start to their season, but even for those who have had a good start, soil moisture is still quite low, so we’re certainly going to need a top-up fairly soon,” he said.
Grain prices are also $80 to $100 a tonne lower than last year. Analyst Malcolm Barthomolaeus said while drought years often lead to a grain price spike in October due to tight supplies, any lift in returns was not expected to last long due to comfortable global stocks.
Mid North farmer Aaron Niemz, of Emu Downs, has received 150 millimetres of rain for the year, at least 100 millimetres less than what he would expect to have in the gauge at this point in the season.
“While we’re in a better position than this time last year, it’s still a long way off being good,” he said.
“Last year the crops were affected by stem frost and lack of moisture. This year there’s more bulk in the crop, so at least we should be able to cut it for hay. Last year we couldn’t even cut for hay because the crop was too short, so we put sheep on it instead.”