2024 rainfall: Bureau of Meteorology forecasts wet week for parts of northern Australia

Livestock markets could be the beneficiary of big rain forecasts across parts of northern Australia, as parts of the southeast have one of their wettest starts to a year on record.

Livestock markets could the beneficiary of big rain forecast across parts of northern Australia over the next week.

According to the Bureau of Meteorology, between 100mm and 200mm is forecast to fall on parts of outback Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia in the next week with 50mm-plus tipped for parts of northern NSW.

The forecast deluge, associated with Tropical Cyclone Kirrily, comes as parts of southeast Australia recorded one of their wettest starts to a year on record, with a number of centres surpassing 100mm and some recording more than six times their normal January rain.

According to the BOM, the best falls have been in southern NSW and Victoria, with West Wyalong leading the charge with 193mm – or six times its January long-term average of 32mm.

This month has been the wettest January at the West Wyalong Airport AWS, operational since 1999, surpassing the previous record of 104mm in 2021.

Other NSW centres to record 100mm-plus totals during January include Cootamundra, which has measured 155mm or more than three times its 49mm average and Parkes, whose 146mm is more than double its 64mm January average. Forbes has recorded 141mm so far this month, followed by Bourke (140mm), Lake Cargelligo (138mm), Cooma (135mm), Broken Hill (133mm), Grenfell (125mm), Condobolin (120mm) and Hay (116mm).

Broken Hill and Hay recorded more than four times its January averages of 28mm and 27mm respectively.

In Victoria, the biggest rain has been in Redesdale which has recorded 167mm, almost five times its 34mm January average and just shy of its highest January total of 176mm recorded in 2011, and Bendigo with 156mm, or four times its January average of 35mm.

Other Victorian centres recording 100mm-plus totals this January include Lake Eildon, which has recorded 151mm, Kerang (141mm), Shepparton (129mm), Wangaratta (122mm), Echuca (114mm), Benalla (110mm), Warrnambool (106mm) and Melbourne (103mm).

Kerang recorded almost six times its 24mm long-term average while Echuca has recorded four times its normal January total. Shepparton Airport has recorded its wettest January, with its total eclipsing the 101mm recorded in 2011.

Meanwhile, the benchmark Eastern Young Cattle Indicator continued its upward trajectory in the past week, hitting 623.69c/kg carcass weight on Monday – a jump of 28c/kg. The EYCI has risen 167c/kg since Christmas after trading below 350c/kg in late October. However, this time last year the EYCI was sitting at 780c/kg.