With the January bushfires still fresh in their minds, a number of regional residents have called triple-0 to report the smell of smoke in recent days.
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However, the cause was not an emergency, but farmers undertaking agricultural burns ahead of the weekend, when there is a chance of rain.
According to the Bureau of Meteorology, there is a 60 per cent chance rain of between two and 10 millimetres of rain on Sunday and a 50 per cent chance of between one and 10mm on Monday.
Bradley Stewart from the Riverina Rural Fire Service said there had been an increase in the nmber of farmers applying for permits to burn and the number was expected to stay elevated ahead of the weekend.
Mr Stewart encouraged residents, who may smell smoke in the coming days, not to automatically dial emergency services.
"Check if a fire is attended. If there is someone like a farmer nearby, then it is probably fine. If it's an unattended fire cloeseby, then call triple-0," he said.
Alan Brown from the NSW Farmers' Wagga branch warned that the region would need more than the recent rainfall for growers to consider the drought as over.
"The drought has collapsed in the north. I was in Tenterfield last week and they've got cattle feed like I've never seen," Mr Brown said.
"But the further south you come, the worse it gets until you get around here and we've basically got a green drought.
"We've got bits and pieces of rain happening, but we've only had that one significant fall recently and it was quite variable.
"There's quite a lot of early winter crops gone in on that one lot of rain. Often down here, we sow when it's 'have we got enough moisture to get the crop up."
Andrew Cottrill, the Murray-Riverina, regional manager of the NSW Business Chamber, said the drought had "slipped on to the backburner" in the minds of many people because of coronavirus, although it remained in the minds of farmers who were still hoping for more rain.
"I don't believe the drought is over. There has been a small break in the weather, but there's been after that little flushg of rain, we've had hardly anything," he said.
"While it would have given short-term relief, I don't believe it has removed any long-term pain."
