|
Statement on Drought for the 3 and 6-month
periods ending 31st August 2006
Rainfall deficiencies spread following record dry August
Averaged across Australia, August 2006 was the
driest August in the historical record from 1900, as well as being
the warmest since high-quality monthly temperature records began in
1950. As a result, rainfall
deficiencies expanded over southern Australia with
record low winter falls over a large part of southern WA and parts
of southeastern Australia. Deficits dating from the start of autumn
intensified across the southeast, including Tasmania.
For the 3-month period from June to August
(winter), generally severe rainfall deficiencies covered most of the
area south of a line from Exmouth (WA) to Eucla (WA) to Port Augusta (SA)
to Albury (NSW) to Canberra (ACT) to Sale (Vic), as well as northern,
central and eastern Tasmania. Record low winter totals occurred over an
extensive area within the Perth/Esperance/Exmouth triangle, as well as
in smaller patches in southeast SA, southern and western Victoria, and
northern and southeast Tasmania. Multi-year rainfall deficits in the
southeast, have been exacerbated by the most recent period of suppressed
rainfall.
For the 6-month period from March to August
(autumn-winter), serious to severe rainfall deficiencies extend in a
band from southeast SA to central Victoria to the central-west of NSW,
where record low falls have occurred. An area near Albury and another
region on the SA/Vic border have also had their driest autumn-winter on
record. The zone from north of Carnarvon to Albany in western WA is also
affected, with areas of lowest on record falls along the coast. August
rainfall in southwest WA was sufficient to ease the deficits, with much
less of the area having record low rainfall than was evident at the end
of July.
Deficits expanded over Tasmania for this period, with record low falls
on the north coast, but there was little change to the pattern of
deficiencies in southeast Queensland.
Deficiencies for the period dating from January will no longer be
monitored as they are essentially covered by the three and six month
periods.
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
External Sites Relating to Drought
The Bureau of Meteorology does not make formal drought declarations
as these are done by either the relevant State Governments or by the
Australian Government. The Australian Government Program is called
Exceptional Circumstances
and it is administered by the Federal Department of Agriculture,
Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF). General information about Australian
Government drought assistance is available at
http://www.daff.gov.au/droughtassist.
|
