Victor Szwed
November started very dry with only 8mm of rain in the first three weeks after an October that had only half its average rainfall. Fortunately, we had some reasonable rain in the last few days of November to bring the monthly rainfall to 57mm, close to the 61.6mm average. December has started well with 24mm in the first three days.
The rainfall for 2024 is still well below average with only 74 per cent of the long-term average to the end of November. As mentioned last month, soil moisture levels are below average for this time of the year both locally and across much of Australia. Try and dig in your yard and the chances are that you will find that the moisture only extends to a small depth before it becomes quite dry.
Rainfall deficiencies are shown on the Bureau’s web site and indicate that to the end of October, large parts of south-western and western Victoria had experienced severe rainfall deficiencies this year. Stream and river flow is below average for many regions.
It is a critical time now for many farmers to receive adequate rainfall for their crops and pastures not to dry out early. But they do not need too much rainfall as that can damage crops when they are drying out for harvest.
The Bureau’s four month forecast as of Thursday 5th December is that rainfall is likely to be in the typical range for most parts of Victoria. Rainfall is much lower into summer, so this is likely to result in vegetation drying out and fire risks increasing.
Humidity has been quite high over recent days. This has resulted in fog conditions in many areas and disruptions to flights at Melbourne Airport. More rainfall is expected over the weekend with 6 to 30mm for Daylesford on Saturday. Heavier rainfalls have been forecast for central and coastal regions of Queensland and New South Wales.
Daylesford Water reservoirs are currently running around 97% full. Ballarat’s are down to 65% compared to 90% last year with Maryborough down to 69% compared to 93% last year.
I have noticed some changes in my garden this year. While rainfall has been lower over recent months, temperatures have been warmer during the nights with mild daytimes. Some plants seem to be enjoying these conditions and are flourishing, as are the weeds.
Many locals had taken advantage of Council’s free green waste at Transfer Stations during November. Please make sure you clear fire hazards and have your fire planning in place as summer is expected to be warmer than average.
Victor Szwed is a local resident who contributes a monthly weather update to The Wombat Post.
