Weather southeast Australia: Where rain is falling this winter

Two key agricultural production regions are faring the best when it comes to winter rainfall. See who is getting decent falls and where is in a shadow.

Rain generic.

Gippsland and the NSW Riverina have fared the best from a wetter-than-average start to winter.

Bureau of Meteorology figures show most centres in southern NSW and Victoria recorded well-above average falls with some centres receiving more than 2.5 times their normal June rain.

Even the parts of northwest Victoria that failed to record a seasonal break during winter received some relief.

Of the 33 weather stations routinely monitored by The Weekly Times, all but four recorded a wetter-than-average June. Leading the way was Sale, in Gippsland, which recorded 128mm or 267 per cent of its long-term average and Griffith, NSW, whose 81mm equated to 238 per cent of its normal total.

Online graphic for this weeks rainfall

Other centres to receive a decent drenching included Narrandera (75mm or 198 per cent of its total), Omeo (105mm or 187 per cent), Deniliquin (56mm or 186 per cent), Yarrawonga (74mm or 182 per cent), the Latrobe Valley (116mm or 181 per cent), Bairnsdale (117mm or 180 per cent) and Stawell (92mm or 178 per cent).

At the other end of the equation, it was a drier month in southwest Victoria with Portland’s 86mm accounting for 87 per cent of its average, Warrnambool’s 89mm equalling 88 per cent and Hamilton’s 61mm equating to 92 per cent.

The best rain in Victoria in the past week was in the southwest of the state with Portland recording 79mm, Dartmoor receiving 54mm and Casterton measuring 27mm. In central Victoria, Lancefield picked up 33mm, Taggerty recorded 29mm and Yarck picked up 22mm.

In NSW, major grain growing and grazing regions of the centralwest benefited from good falls with Coonabarabran picking up 62mm for the week, Coonamble recording 46mm, Dubbo measuring 32mm and Dunedoo 30mm.

Meanwhile, the rain in NSW in the past week has seen more centres eclipse their long-term annual rainfall totals with almost six months of the year remaining.

Leading the way is Forbes (126 per cent of its average), West Wyalong (118 per cent), Bega and Condobolin (117 per cent), Mt Hope (102 per cent), Braidwood (101 per cent) and Trangie (100 per cent). Walgett, which experienced successive years of severe drought last decade, is sitting on 99 per cent of its average.

According to BOM’s eight-day rainfall outlook, only minor falls are expected in the next week with elevated areas of Victoria’s North East on track for more than 25mm.