Parts of Wimmera, Mallee and Sunraysia record less than 25mm of rain this year
Close to half of Victoria is experiencing severe rainfall deficiency, according to a new Bureau of Meteorology prognosis.
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Close to half of Victoria is experiencing severe rainfall deficiency.
The grim prognosis was revealed in the Bureau Of Meteorology’s latest drought statement released on Thursday.
The state’s rainfall deficiency maps show a severe issue in most of western Victoria and parts of South Gippsland. Areas of South Australia, including the Yorke and Eyre peninsulas, and southwest Western Australia are rated as “lowest on record” in terms of rainfall deficiency.
It follows a February when rainfall was average or below average for most of southern Australia and many water storages in southeast states were 10 to 50 per cent lower than the same time last year.
Lake Hume is presently 31 per cent capacity, compared to 75 per cent this time last year.
The state’s biggest storage has dropped by roughly 20 per cent since the end of December.
Areas of soil moisture deficiency have also intensified across much of southern Australia.
For the period since February last year, coastal areas around Warrnambool have recorded their lowest rainfall on record and western, southern, and parts of central Victoria have recorded severe or serious rainfall deficiencies.
Many areas in the southwest, Wimmera, Mallee and Sunraysia regions of Victoria and southern NSW had less than 25mm of rain in February.
The BOM is still predicting above-average rainfall for parts of NSW and Victoria in the three-month May to June.
Rainfall in eastern parts of NSW and Victoria this month will also be “substantially influenced” by Tropical Cyclone Alfred.
HOLDING OUT FOR AUTUMN BREAK
Many parts of western Victoria and southern NSW have had less than 25mm of rain this year as farmers keep an eye out for an autumn break.
Bureau of Meteorology rainfall totals for January and February make grim reading for the Mallee, Sunraysia, Wimmera and the southwest.
Hopetoun has had only 4.6mm of rain in the last two months with Mildura slightly better off with just 6.4mm.
In southern NSW, Deniliquin has had back-to-back monthly totals of 3mm, to also come in under 10mm so far this year.
Farmers are pinning their hopes on an autumn break to get winter cropping programs started.
They’re hopeful of the BOM forecast of above-average rainfall this month coming off and replenishing areas in desperate need for rain.
Horsham had only 1.8mm of rain in February, but agronomist Nick Zordan from SMS Rural Services said there was still optimism about a good season.
“There is a lot less subsoil moisture than this time last year and the top soil is very dry,” he said.
“But people are still positive because they were still able to do okay last year even though they had a low rainfall year.”
Other Victorian centres to record single figure monthly rainfall totals in February were Nhill (3.6mm), Stawell (5.4mm), Bendigo (7mm) and Yarrawonga (8.6mm).
At Finley in southern NSW, farmer Rob Hawkins said the “last decent rain” was in late November.
“We don’t mind if we don’t get much summer rain,” he said.
“But we’d like to know that we’re definitely going to get good rain in the autumn.
“It’s the rain from March onwards that we’re all after.”
In the Upper Murray, farmers like Gary Nankervis from Tintaldra are pinning their hopes on a “normal” autumn break. to provide feed for their herd of 500 Angus cows.
“The paddocks are bare - we were able to cut our normal amount of hay and silage but we are counting every blade that we feed out,” Mr Nankervis said.
“The lack of rain last winter meant we didn’t have a lot of standing hay (feed).”
Mr Nankervis said talk of rain at the end of the month would bring seasons back to what they used to be like after a long hot summer.
At Wangaratta, Jim Conroy said the summer had been a standout for the lack of rain compared to the few years before.
Mr Conroy relocated to the area about seven years ago, and January and February had been the driest months he’d experienced since the move.
“It’s hard to know what normal rainfall is - last January we had more than 200mm,” Mr Conroy said.
Further south in Gippsland, Neville Stuart from Leongatha said his region needed rain with hills looking “quite bare”.
“There has been some rain but it’s been quite patchy,” Mr Stuart said.
“You would imagine the cattle sales at Leongatha will get quite big if the dry conditions continue.”
One region bucking the trend this summer was parts of East Gippsland.
Sale received 207.3 per cent of its 41.2mm February average and Bairnsdale had slightly less with 186.7 per cent of its 45.3mm February average.
But into the hills, Omeo had only 22mm for February or less than half of its February average of 50.7mm.
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Originally published as Parts of Wimmera, Mallee and Sunraysia record less than 25mm of rain this year
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