Winter rain: Where the heaviest falls were

Some areas have already recorded their average yearly rainfall in just eight months. Find out where.

Most areas of NSW and Victoria received above average rain in winter. Picture: Chloe Smith

Winter was officially the wettest in five years.

Bureau of Meteorology climatologist Andrew Watkins said nationally it has been the wettest winter since 2016.

An analysis of BOM rainfall figures for June to August showed most of NSW and Victoria recorded a wetter than average winter, however parts of the Wimmera and Mallee didn’t receive as much as normal.

Of the 33 weather stations routinely monitored by The Weekly Times, all but six recorded a wetter-than-average winter.

Even the parts of Gippsland which had a dried than normal July, caught up to record above average winter rain overall.

Sale’s 204mm for June to August represented 151 per cent of its long-term winter average, while Bairnsdale’s 194mm was 130 per cent of its average.

Some of the other centre’s hitting above-average for winter included Horsham (158mm or 134 per cent), Portland (418mm or 133 per cent), Yarrawonga (162mm or 130 per cent) and Deniliquin in NSW (115mm or 127 per cent).

At the other end of the scale, Nhill recorded 84mm or 77 per cent of its long-term average for the three month period, Ararat received 153mm or 82 per cent and Geelong 108mm or 91 per cent.

Meanwhile, some locations across the country have already beaten their long-term annual averages with four months of the year remaining.

Leading the way is Carnarvon in Western Australia (182 per cent of its average), and NSW centres of Forbes (149 per cent), West Wyalong (134 per cent), Condobolin (130 per cent), Trangie (115 per cent), Ivanhoe (111 per cent), Inverell (109 per cent) and Walgett (106 per cent).

According to BOM’s latest outlook rainfall during spring in the eastern states is likely to be above average.