If you think it has been a wet start to winter, then you’d be correct.
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Wagga has experienced its wettest start to winter in 25 years, with constant rain keeping farmers on their feet.
Nearly 30 per cent of the yearly average has fallen over June (84.6mm) and July (85.4mm). The average yearly total is 571.3mm
The city also went through a very wet May, with 110.6mm recorded for the month, with a significant downpour of 46.6mm on May 9 – taking the rainfall over three months to close to 50 per cent of the average yearly total and three quarters of the rainfall to date this year.
But the wet stuff has been on a more consistent basis for June and July, with the highest rainfall hitting 16.2mm and 11.4mm respectively.
Bureau of Meteorology Wagga technical officer Robbie Lennard said the last time the city experienced a wetter June and July was in 1991, which was the wettest on record since the Wagga meteorological office starting keeping records in 1942.
The total rainfall for the year so far is 396.2mm, which is nearly 25 per cent above the long-term average at this point of the year.
Conversely, temperatures are above average for the winter months.
Department of Primary Industries southern dryland cropping systems leader Luke Gaynor said the milder, wetter weather presented a few challenges to farmers.
“The lack of frosts and mild weather means early sown crops have developed faster than average,” Mr Gaynor said.
“A few frosts now would help toughen these advanced crops and slow their development to avoid the frost period once they enter their reproductive phase.
“Wet conditions have made paddock operations difficult and growers have had to delay topdressing and post-emergent spraying.
“Many late-sown crops are struggling with the wet conditions and really need a few weeks of sunshine to help development and growth.”
Mr Lennard said the forecast for July, August and September was wetter and cooler, with a 50 per cent chance of a La Nina weather event into summer.
Tale of the rain
2016
- June: 84.6 July (to date): 85.4 Total: 170
2015
- June: 100 July: 69.2 Total: 169.2
1991
- June: 138.8 July 73.0 Total: 211.8