Rainy weather expected in Victoria as La Nina officially declared
Up to 75mm — or three inches in the old scale — is expected to fall in parts of Victoria during the next seven days, in the wake of a La Nina weather pattern being officially declared.
AS MUCH as 75mm of rain is forecast to fall across parts of Victoria’s North East this week — just days after a wetter-than-average La Nina weather pattern was officially declared.
The Bureau of Meteorology last week upgraded its El Nino-Southern Oscillation status to La Nina and predicted the phenomenon would persist until January next year.
About half of all surveyed climate models point to a strong La Nina, with most others indicating at least a moderate-strength pattern.
However the models suggest this La Nina is unlikely to be as strong as one experienced in 2010-12 — which ranked among the four strongest La Ninas on record.
According to the BOM’s eight-day rainfall outlook, most of Victoria is in for some rain in the next week, with the biggest falls of more than 50mm expected in the North East while central Victoria, the Western District and parts of Gippsland are on track for more than 25mm and major grain-growing regions in the Wimmera and Mallee can expect between 10mm and 25mm.
In the North East, Beechworth and Benalla are rated a 100 per cent chance of expecting as much as 75mm today and tomorrow, with Wangaratta on track for 70mm and Albury and Corryong 65mm.
Shepparton and Yarrawonga could receive as much as 45mm for the two-day period,
The best rain in the past week was in western Victoria, with Nullawarre picking up 36mm, ahead of Camperdown (34mm), Portland (31mm), Lismore (30mm), Terang (29mm), Warrnambool (28mm) and Geelong (26mm). In the Mallee and Wimmera, Kanagulk and Stawell recorded 15mm, Jeparit 10mm and Mildura and Werrimull 8mm.
Meanwhile, the battle for the wettest towns in Victoria during 2020 has heated up, with recent rain pushing several centres above their average 12-month totals.
For now, Shepparton is leading the charge with 456mm for the year, or 105 per cent of its long-term annual average with more than 12 weeks of the year remaining, ahead of Nhill (349mm or 105 per cent of its average) and Hopetoun (306mm or 104 per cent).
They are followed by Ararat (579mm or 99 per cent), Melbourne (636mm) and Avalon (445mm) each on 98 per cent, Geelong (511mm or 97 per cent), Mortlake (548mm or 95 per cent), Castlemaine (553mm), Bendigo (472mm) and Redesdale (542mm) on 94 per cent, Yarrawonga (431mm or 93 per cent) and Echuca (390mm or 92 per cent).
NSW centres to have already recorded more than average annual rain include Coonabarabran (829mm), Forbes (632mm), Parkes (625mm), Dubbo (600mm), Young (591mm), Condobolin (566mm), West Wyalong (549mm), Narrandera (463mm), Hillston (401mm), Ivanhoe (261mm), Temora (541mm) and Deniliquin (361mm).
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