Wettest May on record for parts of NSW Mid North Coast
ABC meteorologist Tom Saunders says areas like Taree on the New South Wales Mid North Coast have seen record rainfall.
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ABC News
an hour ago
- ABC News
Rains bring relief and hope to farmers in drought-stricken Victoria
After months of blue skies and dwindling dams, the weekend finally brought rain to drought-stricken areas of Victoria. More than 25 millimetres of rain fell in many parts of the state, giving hope to rural communities. Ben Pohlner's farm outside Warrnambool in the state's south-west received more than 40 millimetres since Friday. With the rain turning dry soil to mud, he said the farm could get on with planting a long overdue strawberry crop. "We've got to get 45,000 plants in the ground and that's going to be exciting for us," Mr Pohlner said. At parched Edenhope in the state's west, Clayton Caldow has been hand feeding his flock for months. Since Friday, 44 millimetres of rain has fallen at his property. "Look, a month earlier would have been amazing, but it's going to really kick start a lot of pastures," he said. Inland from Victoria's Surf Coast, at Mount Moriac, drought has forced beef farmers Eliza Holt and Jim McKenna to move their cattle to another property. "For the first time ever we faced the reality in January this year that the dam had gone dry, and we just couldn't maintain the cattle here," Ms Holt said. "So we had to completely destock, which was a huge thing to do." Over the weekend they received more than 80 millimetres, topping up dry troughs and turning thirsty paddocks green. "We spent yesterday staring out the window like idiots just grinning our heads off like it was Christmas," Mr McKenna said. Mr McKenna said the stress and anxiety farmers have been feeling due to drought could not be underestimated. "From here to the border, western Victoria is just going to sleep a lot better after that rain," he said. While grateful for the rain, they say plenty more is needed. "[The rain] won't bring an end to the drought as such, but it's fantastic to have rain and water in the dams," Ms Holt said. "Let's hope for some sunshine and that the seed will actually grow that's been sown in many paddocks throughout Victoria in the past few weeks." The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) is forecasting more rain this week, but drought-breaking rains could still be some time off. "While this is very welcome rainfall and it's good to get some rain, many of these areas are hundreds of millimetres behind average and coming off the driest six, nine, 12 months in some places on record," BOM senior meteorologist Dean Narramore said. "So it's going to take a number of these systems to break the drought."
The Age
2 hours ago
- The Age
Mass car rescue on Mount Hotham as farmers welcome the rain
Elsewhere, two hikers who became stuck on the remote Wonnangatta walking track, also in the state's High Country, were found safe and well on Monday evening. 'They're just in an area where they're, due to the snowfall, unable to progress further on the track,' Johnston earlier told ABC radio. Specialised alpine search and rescue units used sleds to rescue trapped people, as emergency vehicles struggled to access those stranded because of snow-covered roads. By Monday evening, Mount Hotham had recorded 62 centimetres of snow since the start of the long weekend, while Falls Creek had recorded 60 centimetres. Loading Cross Country Skiing Association Victoria treasurer James Louw said the state's alpine environments could become hostile quickly, especially for people who ventured in poorly prepared. 'The weather report doesn't tell you how terrible you might feel when you're out there,' he said. 'It's a really short timeframe from being OK to being hypothermic and unable to care for yourself.' Louw said he often saw visitors heading to alpine resorts who had not brought the equipment necessary to stay safe, such as tyre chains. Victorian farmers have welcomed the rain that has soaked the state across the long weekend, breaking records in the south-west, but they're still hoping for more. Mount Sabine, in the Otways between Lorne and Apollo Bay, had 137 millimetres fall since Friday, while the towns of Mortlake and Penshurst received their highest three-day June rainfall totals on record. Warrnambool broke its highest single-day June total record after 39 millimetres of rain fell between 9am on Saturday and Sunday. Simon Severin works as an agronomist, a type of scientist specialising in crop production, in Horsham. He said farmers would be hoping for more rain in about a fortnight. 'We've had to sow nearly all the crop dry and wait for rain to bring the crop up, so the crops will emerge on this rain,' he said. 'I think everyone's had more than 15 millimetres, up to 25-30 in places [in the Wimmera]. This will get the crops and the feed growing, but follow-up rain will be crucial. The soil will be very dry and this rain will be gone very soon.' Meteorologist Daniel Sherwin-Simpson said more prolonged rain was expected in western Victoria next Monday. The cold and wet conditions follow a warm and dry autumn that parched large parts of the state. Rainfall had been at the lowest on record for the past 16 months on Victoria's south-west coast. Victorian Farmers Federation president Brett Hosking said the rain was a welcome relief to farmers across the state, particularly for those in the south-west, where the drought has hit hardest. Loading 'We'll need the rain to keep coming,' he said. 'This didn't fill the dams, it just started that process.' Hosking said the drought had hit the mental health of many farmers and the rain would have relieved some of that stress. 'The rain would certainly have boosted the wellbeing of farmers across Victoria,' he said.
ABC News
15 hours ago
- ABC News
How to avoid getting your car stuck on snowy roads this winter
Heavy snowfall during the opening weekend of Australia's ski season has led to multiple emergency rescues as people became trapped in their cars. In Victoria alone, about 20 people had to be rescued from vehicles on alpine roads. With winter only just beginning, authorities are urging drivers to prepare for alpine conditions and understand what to do if they get stuck in the snow. Gippsland emergency services responded to calls of people trapped in vehicles after becoming stuck in heavy snow on Mount Hotham on Saturday. Across the border in New South Wales, search crews spent more than 20 hours rescuing two bushwalkers stranded in blizzard conditions near Mount Kosciuszko. Police continue to respond to the ongoing snow conditions at Mount Hotham, with a rescue of two hikers also underway on the Wonnangatta walking track. Bright SES unit controller Graham Gales said the main cause of people getting stuck in the snow was not carrying chains. "Some inexperienced drivers there, some people who hadn't checked the weather forecast and gone in ill-prepared for even light snow." Victoria Police Eastern Region Division Four Superintendent Joy Arbuthnot said police turned back 14 drivers a day at Mt Hotham last season because they did not have snow chains. "That's not just a statistic, it's almost 1,500 drivers who put themselves, their passengers, and others on the road at serious risk," Superintendent Arbuthnot said. "Without snow chains, your car simply won't grip on icy roads. "We've seen cars slide off the edge of mountainsides, families stranded in dangerous conditions, and collisions that could have been avoided." Mr Gales recommended passengers trapped in stuck vehicles reach for any warm camping gear on hand, such as sleeping bags, and preserve fuel. "There are also issues with diesel engines that will freeze up … and not be able to start," he said. "You've got to be able to get in and locate those people and get them out." Snow-goers have been warned to obey road closure signs to allow emergency services to continue their search of the area and identify whether any more people require rescue. At Harrietville, members of Highway Patrol are understood to be travelling in the region, warning people they will be fined if they have snow on the roof or windshield of cars that could fall off and pose a danger to other drivers. In Victoria, all vehicles travelling to alpine regions during the declared snow season must carry wheel chains and fit them when instructed. Failure to carry them can result in a $395 fine, and a $988 fine for not fitting them when directed. These rules differ in NSW, where 4WD and AWD vehicles do not require chains to enter the Kosciuszko National Park, but all 2WD vehicles must carry snow chains. According to The Royal Automobile Club of Victoria (RACV), preparing your car before heading to the snow is paramount. The RACV's advice to drivers includes: Falls Creek recommends people visiting alpine resorts drive slowly in snow and ice conditions, allow plenty of room between vehicles, and avoid using cruise control. It recommends drivers who are stuck do not spin their wheels or rev the vehicle as this will dig the car further into snow. Instead, drivers should put the vehicle into as high a gear as possible and slowly manoeuvre forwards and backwards, to gently creep out. When parking a vehicle, Transport Victoria recommends positioning front wheels away from the slope, putting manual vehicles in first gear, and lifting wiper blades up to avoid them freezing onto the windscreen.
