Big dry breaks with 50mm downpour
WITH the Valley recording its driest August since 1880, many people were tapping their tanks and hearing that loud, empty reverberation.
The cane farmers were praying for rain to germinate their harvest and the graziers were noting the feed looked particularly dry.
Then the downpour came on Monday night, with Grafton getting over 50mm of rain in about five hours.
According to Phil McLennan from McLennan Water Cartage, quite a few people were having to order their water in, but the big dry of August was not something we had not witnessed before.
"It's not been overly busy," said Mr McLennan in regards to the number of people requiring the services of his water truck.
"We have been doing 15-20 each week for the past couple of weeks; if it does not rain it will get worse."
Then it rained and the Grafton area had the highest amount of rainfall recorded in NSW on Monday.
"Water cartage is just like that, it is on and off," Mr McLennan said after Monday's downpour.
According to the long-range forecast on the Bureau of Meteorology website, the Valley can expect a slightly warmer-than-average spring.
In terms of precipitation, the long-range forecast suggests we will receive our monthly average.
The Bureau also suggests that ocean temperatures on the Pacific coast are now nearing the point where an El Nino cycle can be identified.
An El Nino cycle usually indicates that Australia will receive a dry summer.
WEATHER UPDATE
The Valley just recorded its driest August since 1880 when it did not rain for the whole month
The long-range forecast is for a slightly warmer than usual spring
The BOM suggests conditions are shaping up for a dry El Nino year
