The outlook for a good autumn break is not hopeful for drought hit areas

More than 500mm of rain has fallen in Queensland but areas dealing with drought in Victoria and SA have had dry rain gauges.

Southern Australia continues to wait with bated breath for a much needed autumn break, as Queensland producers suffer through more than 500mm of rain flooding their properties in the past week.

While little rain fell in the driest parts of the south in the past week, places such as Wahroonga in central QLD had 454mm and Mutaree Store near Townsville recorded 563mm.

The heaviest rain has been concentrated to central and east coastal QLD, with some areas in northern NSW also getting 50-100mm.

Down in Victoria, east Gippsland fared best with Cann River receiving a welcomed 34mm over the past seven days.

Lake Eildon and Benalla also recorded 16mm, but in most other regions 3-5mm was the best that was tipped out of rain gauges – including in central Victoria through to the Mallee.

But in Victoria’s south west and southern South Australia, which have been battling drought conditions and are desperate for a good autumn break, little to no rain was recorded.

In northern SA Arkaroola did snag 40mm.

Over the weekend, Garry Summerhayes from Berriwillock recorded just 2mm of rain.

He said areas to the north, including north of Swan Hill, had recorded 30mm to 60mm.

Weather events have created a north versus south divide for farmers.

“We were probably a day off sowing, but we can wait a little longer and dry sowing doesn’t worry us,” he said.

Gorst Rural director Cam Conboy of Lake Bolac said his area missed out on the weekend rain and livestock and cropping farmers were certainly in need of a break.

“Things are looking dry and dusty and we are getting south easterly winds,” he said.

‘Farmers have been trying to maintain ground cover and manage livestock.”

Paul Cleton of Hillston in southern NSW said 8mm of rain fell in his area on the weekend but farmers were hoping for more.

“It has been a bit patchy and we have missed out on some of the past rain events too,” he said.

Mr Cleton said cotton picking in the area would start in about two and a half weeks.

Meanwhile, the outlook is not offering a great deal of good news for farmers in need of rain.

Bureau of Meteorology senior climatologist Jonathan Pollock said today the current long-range forecast for April pointed to “neutral – close to 50:50 chance of above or below average rainfall – for much of the southeast, with patches of slightly increased chances, 60-65 per cent, of below average rainfall for SA and southwest Victoria”.

Parts of eastern NSW were likely to have above average April rainfall.

Looking to May, the shows much of Victoria, northern Tasmania, inland New South Wales and patches of SA’s Agricultural Areas were also likely to have below average rainfall.

Maximum and minimum temperatures were likely to be higher than average across most of southern Australia during April and May, Mr Pollock said.

These forecasts are due to be updated Thursday.