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Statement on Drought for the 9 and 11-month
periods ending 30th November 2005
ISSUED 2nd December 2005 by the National Climate Centre
Further easing of deficiencies in southern Queensland
Following good falls in October, above to very much above average
rainfall for November removed or significantly eased
rainfall deficiencies in
parts of southern Queensland, the Bureau of Meteorology announced today.
However, average to below average falls in parts of southern Victoria
saw rainfall deficiencies remain or intensify in that region.
For the 9-month period from March to November,
serious rainfall deficiencies, with patches of severe deficiencies,
affect much of southern Victoria between the SA border and Sale in
Gippsland. November rainfall was below the long-term mean in southwest
Victoria resulting in a slight intensification of the deficits in
comparison with the situation at the end of October. This most recent
period of deficient rainfall in southern Victoria is included within a
period of below average to record low 9-year rainfall totals in the same
area.
For the 11-month period from January to November,
the most significant rainfall deficiencies are located between Bourke (NSW)
and Charleville (Qld). These decreased in intensity and spatial extent
following average to above average falls in November. Further to the east
in the Darling Downs and Granite Belt district and the adjacent border
regions of northern NSW, November rainfall was sufficient to remove the
deficits that had been evident at the end of October.
Other parts of the country experiencing rainfall deficiencies over this
period include the southeastern inland of WA (around Laverton), and parts
of Cape York Peninsula in north Queensland.
Rainfall deficiency
maps for longer periods indicate that deficiencies at the
three year timescale, which are particularly relevant to water supplies,
remain prevalent in parts of eastern Australia, especially in Queensland.
Note: The terms used to describe rainfall in these
Drought Statements have the following meanings -
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
Very much 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%
Very much above average
- rainfalls in the highest 10% of historical totals
For more information regarding this rainfall
deficiencies statement, please contact the following
climate meteorologists in the National Climate Centre:
Grant Beard on (03) 9669 4527
David Jones on (03) 9669 4085
Blair Trewin on (03) 9669 4603
External Sites Relating to Drought
The Bureau of Meteorology does not make formal drought declarations
as these are done by the relevant State Government Departments. The
Bureau of Rural Sciences (BRS), a scientific agency within the
Federal department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF),
administers the Drought
Exceptional Circumstances program.
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