Issued 3 November 2005
Deficiencies ease in parts of Queensland, SA and Victoria
Above to very much above average rainfall for October removed or significantly eased rainfall deficiencies in parts of southeast Queensland and the far southeast of South Australia, the Bureau of Meteorology announced today. There was also some easing of the deficiencies across southern Victoria, especially in the southwest of the State.
8-month rainfall deficiencies
For the 8-month period from March to October, serious rainfall deficiencies, with patches of severe deficiencies, affect much of southern Victoria between the SA border and Sale in Gippsland. October rainfall was close to the long-term mean in southwest Victoria and this was sufficient to ease, and in some cases remove, the deficiencies that had existed at the end of September. This most recent period of deficient rainfall in southeastern Australia is included within a period of below average to record low 9-year rainfall totals in the same region.
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10-month rainfall deficiencies
For the 10-month period from January to October, the most significant rainfall deficiencies are located in a patch straddling the NSW/QLD border between Bourke (NSW) and Charleville (Qld). There was very little change in these deficits between September and October. Another patch exists further to the east in the Darling Downs and Granite Belt district and the adjacent border regions of northern NSW. In comparison with the situation at the end of September, this patch is now considerably smaller due to good falls in October.
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Rainfall deficiency maps for longer periods indicate that deficiencies at the two to three year timescale, which are particularly relevant to water supplies, remain prevalent in parts of eastern Australia, especially in Queensland.
