MEDIA RELEASE - ISSUED 8^th FEBRUARY 2001

Statement on Drought for the 10 & 12-month periods ending 31^st January 2001

Relief in parts of W.A. and eastern Australia

The Bureau of Meteorology announced today that rainfall during January eased the situation with respect to deficits across the southern inland of Western Australia. There was little change in southeast Queensland and northeast NSW as at the end of January, but heavy rain in early February has either eliminated or significantly eased the situation there as well.

For the ten months from April to January, rainfall deficiencies persisted in southern W.A. between Albany and Esperance, near Kalgoorlie, as well as on parts of the coast between Perth and Carnarvon (see first map below). January rainfall was sufficient to remove deficits near Exmouth in the north, and across much of the region in a broad sweep from Carnarvon to Kalgoorlie.

The 12 months from February 2000 to January 2001 have been deficient in rainfall over southeast Queensland and the far northeast corner of NSW. At the end of January the affected region covered parts of the Darling Downs in Queensland, together with some of the Northern Tablelands and Northern Rivers districts in NSW (see second map below). However, very heavy rain at the start of February along the coast and adjacent mountain ranges has either eliminated deficiencies or significantly eased the situation.

Rainfall deficiency maps for standard periods (3, 6, 9, 12, 18, 24 and 36 months) are updated monthly on the Bureau's web site, at http://www.bom.gov.au/cgi-bin/silo/rain_maps.cgi .

Note: The terms used to describe rainfall in these Drought Statements have the following meanings -

Well below average - rainfalls in the lowest 10% of historical totals
Below average - rainfalls in the lowest 30% of historical totals, but not in the lowest 10%
Average - rainfalls in the middle 40% of historical totals
Above average - rainfalls in the highest 30% of historical totals, but not in the highest 10%
Well above average - rainfalls in the highest 10% of historical totals
Serious deficiency - rainfalls in the lowest 10% of historical totals, but not in the lowest 5%
Severe deficiency - rainfalls in the lowest 5% of historical totals
Lowest on record - lowest since at least 1900 when the data analysed begin

For more information regarding this rainfall deficiencies statement, please contact the following climate meteorologists during normal business hours (EST) Monday to Friday: