Parts of Victoria could receive up to 100mm of rain this week

HARVEST could be disrupted and grain crops flattened as up to 100mm of forecast rain falls across parts of Victoria in a 48-hour period.

Fright night

HARVEST could be disrupted and grain crops flattened with up to 100mm of rain forecast to fall across parts of Victoria in the next two days.

Bureau of Meteorology senior forecaster Peter Newham said the focus today would be on parts of the Mallee and Wimmera, where 10-30mm was forecast. Northern Victoria and the North East could expect similar totals tomorrow.

Mr Newham said the front, which has weakened slightly in recent days, was unstable, and some isolated areas could receive more rain.

“There could be places that get 50-100mm during the course of Wednesday or Thursday but at this stage it doesn’t look like it’s going to be over large areas,” he said.

Victorian Farmers Federation president Peter Tuohey said the forecast rain was unlikely to be welcomed by most farmers due to its timing late in the winter crop cycle.

Many farmers in the Wimmera and Mallee have already begun harvesting crops for grain.

Others were forced to cut crops for hay last month after a five-day heatwave all but destroyed yield chances.

Mr Tuohey said the forecast rain could delay harvest, flatten standing crops and, for sheep, producers “get the blowflies going”.

“If we talk it up, hopefully we might frighten it away,” he said.

The rain follows isolated falls across eastern Australia over the weekend that saw parts of drought-ravaged Queensland receive up to 150mm. In the south, some of the biggest falls were recorded in the NSW Riverina, with Stockinbingal recording 75mm in the seven days to 9am yesterday, followed by Adelong (67mm), Wagga Wagga (64mm), Hillston (62mm), Temora (57mm), Lockhart (55mm) and Deniliquin (37mm).

In Victoria, the focus was on the North East and East Gippsland, with wild weather ripping roofs from houses in Strathmerton.

Myrtleford picked up 94mm of rain, ahead of Wodonga (70mm), Bairnsdale (37mm), Wangaratta and Yarrawonga (36mm), and Corryong (28mm).

While the official rainfall figure for the week at Dunolly was 11mm, local deer farmer Fred Davies said he received 70mm in an hour on Saturday, which caused flash flooding and knocked down some fences.

“We’ll take that small amount of damage because it filled all the dams, which means we can survive the summer now,” he said.

Elders stud stock specialist Ross Milne said while always welcome, the rain would “have been more useful if it came earlier”.