Heavy rain greets drought reports: [1 All-round Country Edition]
John Stapleton, Additional reporting: AAP. The Australian; Canberra, A.C.T. [Canberra, A.C.T] 20 Aug 2007: 5.
Abstract
In NSW, however, areas around Condobolin and Coonabarabran, which officially fell back into drought yesterday, remained dry despite the heavy falls in other parts of the state. Grain growers desperately need further rain to finish off their winter crops.
"Many catchments in NSW remain excessively dry due to the protracted period of below-average rainfall and above-average temperatures, which means it will take considerable falls to produce runoff, replenish subsoil moisture and impact on water storages."
Mr [Ian Macdonald] said about two-thirds of NSW received little rainfall last month, with only average rain in the southern third. Severe frosts were also reported in some parts of the winter cropping belt, which had contributed to the stress placed on crop growth, he said.
NSW Primary Industries Minister Ian Macdonald yesterday announced that the area of the state officially in drought had jumped to 75 per cent -- and then the heavens opened up.
Regions that officially went back into drought in the northeast of the state, including Ballina and Lismore, received a drenching and heavy falls are predicted for the northern rivers and the mid- north coast today.
Some locations are expected to receive their entire average rainfall for August of about 90mm in less than 48 hours.
Parts of Sydney also received up to 50mm of rain between 9am and 3pm yesterday -- more than had fallen for the month of August so far.
While widespread rainfall around Anzac Day provided grain growers across eastern Australia with their best start to the winter growing season in a decade, below average rainfalls since June have been enough to cause significant concern -- until yesterday.
Senior forecaster with the NSW Bureau of Meteorology Jane Golding said the significant falls were being driven by the interaction between low pressure troughs off the coast and a flow of moisture moving down from Queensland.
Across the country, rainfall patterns are returning to normal after an extended dry period.
This follows the end earlier this year of the oceanic andatmospheric phenomenon known as El Nino. All long-term rain forecasts are now for average or above-average falls between now and the end of the year.
There has been good rain in the Flinders Ranges in South Australia recently, and in Western Australia much of the grain belt has also had good falls.
In NSW, however, areas around Condobolin and Coonabarabran, which officially fell back into drought yesterday, remained dry despite the heavy falls in other parts of the state. Grain growers desperately need further rain to finish off their winter crops.
"Our farmers are pinning their hopes on good rains in a matter of days not weeks," Mr Macdonald said.
"For crops to achieve reasonable yields, significant rain will be required across most parts of the grain belt before temperatures rise in spring.
"Many catchments in NSW remain excessively dry due to the protracted period of below-average rainfall and above-average temperatures, which means it will take considerable falls to produce runoff, replenish subsoil moisture and impact on water storages."
Areas that moved back into drought also included parts of Armidale, Casino and Kempsey and the whole of Tweed-Lismore in the north of the state.
Mr Macdonald said about two-thirds of NSW received little rainfall last month, with only average rain in the southern third. Severe frosts were also reported in some parts of the winter cropping belt, which had contributed to the stress placed on crop growth, he said.
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