MOST of NSW is still in drought despite above average rainfall in the past month.
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And for some in the Riverina the rain couldn’t have come at a more inconvenient time with harvest in full swing.
NSW Department of Primary Industries Leader of Climate Applications and Digital Agriculture, Dr Anthony Clark said mid-October rainfall provided significant easing of drought conditions along the coast and hinterland with parts of NSW. “Unfortunately however, the latest estimates of drought intensity place up to 30 per cent of the state in the Drought,” he said.
WHERE THE RAIN FELL IN THE PAST WEEK:
- Wagga 39mm
- Narrandera 24mm
- Grong Grong 24mm
- Gundagai 20mm
DPI with Geoscience Australia, has also undertaken the first ever comprehensive audit of farm dam levels across NSW. Although the assessment method is still a prototype, it highlights that large parts of NSW have dam water surface area in the lowest 20 per cent of capacity, relative to the highest level recorded since January 2000. “Considering the prospect of increasing evaporative losses over the warmer months, our assessment is that surface stock water supplies are currently critically low across much of NSW,” Dr Clark said.
Considering the prospect of increasing evaporative losses over the warmer months, our assessment is that surface stock water supplies are currently critically low across much of NSW.
- Anthony Clark
The Bureau of Meteorology rainfall outlook for November to January indicates that parts of northern, southern and western NSW have an increased chance of drier conditions.
