'This is really scary': farmers battle historic drought
Farmer Paul Manwaring has been living in the shadow of rain.
The cattle breeder has watched for months as promising forecasts disappear, while the occasional shower creates patches of growth on the parched plains around Cootamundra, in southwestern NSW.
"It's all green where a storm went through, but 200 metres down the road it's desolate," Mr Manwaring told AAP.
The region is in the grips of disaster, according to the NSW drought indicator, part of a large area lit up in orange on the map.
Surrounding regions are also drying out, expected to slip into drought by mid-winter.
"(The rain) keeps either going north or south of us and we just keep being in that shadow," Mr Manwaring said.
After a hot summer, the mild and wet autumn break that farmers typically expect did not come.
Scattered rain across parts of the district in recent days arrived too late as producers had already made tough decisions.
Mr Manwaring, who runs a small livestock operation, sold his sheep in spring in anticipation of the dry, figuring that a run of good seasons would turn.
Others have had to pull up their crops, change their planting regimes or sell stock in a busy market, necessary moves that will affect farm incomes for years.
"Even when it does rain, it's going to take a while to grow feed for all the livestock," Mr Manwaring said.
Much of southern Australia is in drought at the same time as the NSW Hunter and mid-north coast regions face a major flood emergency, with five months' rain falling there in two days.
April rainfall has been well below average across much of Victoria, Tasmania, southern NSW, eastern SA, and the west coast and interior of WA, according to the Bureau of Meteorology's drought statement.
Tasmania recorded its driest April in a decade, with falls 50 per cent below the 40-year average.
South Australia has also been hit particularly hard, with $2 billion wiped from the state's economy after the worst harvest in 15 years.
Cassie Oster, whose family runs a grazing and cropping operation at Jabuk, about 150km southeast of Adelaide, says producers on the marginal country are always prepared for dry conditions.
But this drought is particularly brutal.
"We are at a point where we're like ... this is really scary," Ms Oster said.
"The decisions we're having to make are things that we've never been faced with before."
The family has sold off more than 1000 sheep and abandoned several crops.
Those kinds of decisions make it harder for farmers to buy back into the market after the drought breaks, when they are also likely to face higher costs of inputs, machinery and fuel.
Drought conditions have been slowly creeping in since early 2023, mostly in regions with western-facing coastlines.
Dry periods have been historically linked to the El Nino climate pattern, but Australian scientists have identified more nuance in what triggers low rainfall.
Droughts develop when weather systems that lift and carry moisture from the ocean disappear, a recent scientific review found.
That has been the case for months across the south, with slow-moving high pressure systems dominating and bringing warm and dry conditions with them.
There has been a long-term shift towards drier conditions in southern Australia, according to the weather bureau's 2024 climate change report.
As the dry takes hold and forecasts fail to offer any certainty, farming groups have been calling for greater drought awareness and support.
Ms Oster is one of many farmers backing a petition for a formal drought declaration to unlock emergency funds, something the SA government says it cannot do under a federal agreement.
She said the national drought plan, which aims to make farmers financially self-reliant, is all very well in a typical scenario.
Most farmers spend the good years preparing for the bad, but the last few seasons have made that nearly impossible.
"It's like no other drought we've ever seen," Ms Oster said.
The Victorian Farmers Federation has urged politicians to spend more time in the regions.
"Mental health is a huge concern: when farmers feel isolated, unsupported and forgotten, the consequences can be devastating for individuals and entire communities," president Brett Hosking said.
Eileen Jorgensen, who has spent a lifetime farming in Victoria, has noticed growers becoming more open about the mental toll of drought.
But distressed farmers talking to each other could only help for so long, she said.
"That is probably the darker side of the drought," Ms Jorgensen told AAP while looking out the window at her drying paddocks in the Wimmera region, in the state's west.
The Jorgensens, who grow grain and raise sheep and Clydesdale horses, are able to keep their stock watered by the Wimmera Mallee pipeline that was built after successive droughts in the early 2000s.
But others further south are having to cart water and source increasingly expensive stock feed.
Ms Jorgensen remains pragmatic, having grown up working in her father's market garden watching bad seasons come and go.
"You just know it's going to rain eventually," she said.
"It may not be tomorrow, it may not be next month, but it will rain."
Lifeline 13 11 14
beyondblue 1300 22 4636
Farmer Paul Manwaring has been living in the shadow of rain.
The cattle breeder has watched for months as promising forecasts disappear, while the occasional shower creates patches of growth on the parched plains around Cootamundra, in southwestern NSW.
"It's all green where a storm went through, but 200 metres down the road it's desolate," Mr Manwaring told AAP.
The region is in the grips of disaster, according to the NSW drought indicator, part of a large area lit up in orange on the map.
Surrounding regions are also drying out, expected to slip into drought by mid-winter.
"(The rain) keeps either going north or south of us and we just keep being in that shadow," Mr Manwaring said.
After a hot summer, the mild and wet autumn break that farmers typically expect did not come.
Scattered rain across parts of the district in recent days arrived too late as producers had already made tough decisions.
Mr Manwaring, who runs a small livestock operation, sold his sheep in spring in anticipation of the dry, figuring that a run of good seasons would turn.
Others have had to pull up their crops, change their planting regimes or sell stock in a busy market, necessary moves that will affect farm incomes for years.
"Even when it does rain, it's going to take a while to grow feed for all the livestock," Mr Manwaring said.
Much of southern Australia is in drought at the same time as the NSW Hunter and mid-north coast regions face a major flood emergency, with five months' rain falling there in two days.
April rainfall has been well below average across much of Victoria, Tasmania, southern NSW, eastern SA, and the west coast and interior of WA, according to the Bureau of Meteorology's drought statement.
Tasmania recorded its driest April in a decade, with falls 50 per cent below the 40-year average.
South Australia has also been hit particularly hard, with $2 billion wiped from the state's economy after the worst harvest in 15 years.
Cassie Oster, whose family runs a grazing and cropping operation at Jabuk, about 150km southeast of Adelaide, says producers on the marginal country are always prepared for dry conditions.
But this drought is particularly brutal.
"We are at a point where we're like ... this is really scary," Ms Oster said.
"The decisions we're having to make are things that we've never been faced with before."
The family has sold off more than 1000 sheep and abandoned several crops.
Those kinds of decisions make it harder for farmers to buy back into the market after the drought breaks, when they are also likely to face higher costs of inputs, machinery and fuel.
Drought conditions have been slowly creeping in since early 2023, mostly in regions with western-facing coastlines.
Dry periods have been historically linked to the El Nino climate pattern, but Australian scientists have identified more nuance in what triggers low rainfall.
Droughts develop when weather systems that lift and carry moisture from the ocean disappear, a recent scientific review found.
That has been the case for months across the south, with slow-moving high pressure systems dominating and bringing warm and dry conditions with them.
There has been a long-term shift towards drier conditions in southern Australia, according to the weather bureau's 2024 climate change report.
As the dry takes hold and forecasts fail to offer any certainty, farming groups have been calling for greater drought awareness and support.
Ms Oster is one of many farmers backing a petition for a formal drought declaration to unlock emergency funds, something the SA government says it cannot do under a federal agreement.
She said the national drought plan, which aims to make farmers financially self-reliant, is all very well in a typical scenario.
Most farmers spend the good years preparing for the bad, but the last few seasons have made that nearly impossible.
"It's like no other drought we've ever seen," Ms Oster said.
The Victorian Farmers Federation has urged politicians to spend more time in the regions.
"Mental health is a huge concern: when farmers feel isolated, unsupported and forgotten, the consequences can be devastating for individuals and entire communities," president Brett Hosking said.
Eileen Jorgensen, who has spent a lifetime farming in Victoria, has noticed growers becoming more open about the mental toll of drought.
But distressed farmers talking to each other could only help for so long, she said.
"That is probably the darker side of the drought," Ms Jorgensen told AAP while looking out the window at her drying paddocks in the Wimmera region, in the state's west.
The Jorgensens, who grow grain and raise sheep and Clydesdale horses, are able to keep their stock watered by the Wimmera Mallee pipeline that was built after successive droughts in the early 2000s.
But others further south are having to cart water and source increasingly expensive stock feed.
Ms Jorgensen remains pragmatic, having grown up working in her father's market garden watching bad seasons come and go.
"You just know it's going to rain eventually," she said.
"It may not be tomorrow, it may not be next month, but it will rain."
Lifeline 13 11 14
beyondblue 1300 22 4636
Farmer Paul Manwaring has been living in the shadow of rain.
The cattle breeder has watched for months as promising forecasts disappear, while the occasional shower creates patches of growth on the parched plains around Cootamundra, in southwestern NSW.
"It's all green where a storm went through, but 200 metres down the road it's desolate," Mr Manwaring told AAP.
The region is in the grips of disaster, according to the NSW drought indicator, part of a large area lit up in orange on the map.
Surrounding regions are also drying out, expected to slip into drought by mid-winter.
"(The rain) keeps either going north or south of us and we just keep being in that shadow," Mr Manwaring said.
After a hot summer, the mild and wet autumn break that farmers typically expect did not come.
Scattered rain across parts of the district in recent days arrived too late as producers had already made tough decisions.
Mr Manwaring, who runs a small livestock operation, sold his sheep in spring in anticipation of the dry, figuring that a run of good seasons would turn.
Others have had to pull up their crops, change their planting regimes or sell stock in a busy market, necessary moves that will affect farm incomes for years.
"Even when it does rain, it's going to take a while to grow feed for all the livestock," Mr Manwaring said.
Much of southern Australia is in drought at the same time as the NSW Hunter and mid-north coast regions face a major flood emergency, with five months' rain falling there in two days.
April rainfall has been well below average across much of Victoria, Tasmania, southern NSW, eastern SA, and the west coast and interior of WA, according to the Bureau of Meteorology's drought statement.
Tasmania recorded its driest April in a decade, with falls 50 per cent below the 40-year average.
South Australia has also been hit particularly hard, with $2 billion wiped from the state's economy after the worst harvest in 15 years.
Cassie Oster, whose family runs a grazing and cropping operation at Jabuk, about 150km southeast of Adelaide, says producers on the marginal country are always prepared for dry conditions.
But this drought is particularly brutal.
"We are at a point where we're like ... this is really scary," Ms Oster said.
"The decisions we're having to make are things that we've never been faced with before."
The family has sold off more than 1000 sheep and abandoned several crops.
Those kinds of decisions make it harder for farmers to buy back into the market after the drought breaks, when they are also likely to face higher costs of inputs, machinery and fuel.
Drought conditions have been slowly creeping in since early 2023, mostly in regions with western-facing coastlines.
Dry periods have been historically linked to the El Nino climate pattern, but Australian scientists have identified more nuance in what triggers low rainfall.
Droughts develop when weather systems that lift and carry moisture from the ocean disappear, a recent scientific review found.
That has been the case for months across the south, with slow-moving high pressure systems dominating and bringing warm and dry conditions with them.
There has been a long-term shift towards drier conditions in southern Australia, according to the weather bureau's 2024 climate change report.
As the dry takes hold and forecasts fail to offer any certainty, farming groups have been calling for greater drought awareness and support.
Ms Oster is one of many farmers backing a petition for a formal drought declaration to unlock emergency funds, something the SA government says it cannot do under a federal agreement.
She said the national drought plan, which aims to make farmers financially self-reliant, is all very well in a typical scenario.
Most farmers spend the good years preparing for the bad, but the last few seasons have made that nearly impossible.
"It's like no other drought we've ever seen," Ms Oster said.
The Victorian Farmers Federation has urged politicians to spend more time in the regions.
"Mental health is a huge concern: when farmers feel isolated, unsupported and forgotten, the consequences can be devastating for individuals and entire communities," president Brett Hosking said.
Eileen Jorgensen, who has spent a lifetime farming in Victoria, has noticed growers becoming more open about the mental toll of drought.
But distressed farmers talking to each other could only help for so long, she said.
"That is probably the darker side of the drought," Ms Jorgensen told AAP while looking out the window at her drying paddocks in the Wimmera region, in the state's west.
The Jorgensens, who grow grain and raise sheep and Clydesdale horses, are able to keep their stock watered by the Wimmera Mallee pipeline that was built after successive droughts in the early 2000s.
But others further south are having to cart water and source increasingly expensive stock feed.
Ms Jorgensen remains pragmatic, having grown up working in her father's market garden watching bad seasons come and go.
"You just know it's going to rain eventually," she said.
"It may not be tomorrow, it may not be next month, but it will rain."
Lifeline 13 11 14
beyondblue 1300 22 4636
Farmer Paul Manwaring has been living in the shadow of rain.
The cattle breeder has watched for months as promising forecasts disappear, while the occasional shower creates patches of growth on the parched plains around Cootamundra, in southwestern NSW.
"It's all green where a storm went through, but 200 metres down the road it's desolate," Mr Manwaring told AAP.
The region is in the grips of disaster, according to the NSW drought indicator, part of a large area lit up in orange on the map.
Surrounding regions are also drying out, expected to slip into drought by mid-winter.
"(The rain) keeps either going north or south of us and we just keep being in that shadow," Mr Manwaring said.
After a hot summer, the mild and wet autumn break that farmers typically expect did not come.
Scattered rain across parts of the district in recent days arrived too late as producers had already made tough decisions.
Mr Manwaring, who runs a small livestock operation, sold his sheep in spring in anticipation of the dry, figuring that a run of good seasons would turn.
Others have had to pull up their crops, change their planting regimes or sell stock in a busy market, necessary moves that will affect farm incomes for years.
"Even when it does rain, it's going to take a while to grow feed for all the livestock," Mr Manwaring said.
Much of southern Australia is in drought at the same time as the NSW Hunter and mid-north coast regions face a major flood emergency, with five months' rain falling there in two days.
April rainfall has been well below average across much of Victoria, Tasmania, southern NSW, eastern SA, and the west coast and interior of WA, according to the Bureau of Meteorology's drought statement.
Tasmania recorded its driest April in a decade, with falls 50 per cent below the 40-year average.
South Australia has also been hit particularly hard, with $2 billion wiped from the state's economy after the worst harvest in 15 years.
Cassie Oster, whose family runs a grazing and cropping operation at Jabuk, about 150km southeast of Adelaide, says producers on the marginal country are always prepared for dry conditions.
But this drought is particularly brutal.
"We are at a point where we're like ... this is really scary," Ms Oster said.
"The decisions we're having to make are things that we've never been faced with before."
The family has sold off more than 1000 sheep and abandoned several crops.
Those kinds of decisions make it harder for farmers to buy back into the market after the drought breaks, when they are also likely to face higher costs of inputs, machinery and fuel.
Drought conditions have been slowly creeping in since early 2023, mostly in regions with western-facing coastlines.
Dry periods have been historically linked to the El Nino climate pattern, but Australian scientists have identified more nuance in what triggers low rainfall.
Droughts develop when weather systems that lift and carry moisture from the ocean disappear, a recent scientific review found.
That has been the case for months across the south, with slow-moving high pressure systems dominating and bringing warm and dry conditions with them.
There has been a long-term shift towards drier conditions in southern Australia, according to the weather bureau's 2024 climate change report.
As the dry takes hold and forecasts fail to offer any certainty, farming groups have been calling for greater drought awareness and support.
Ms Oster is one of many farmers backing a petition for a formal drought declaration to unlock emergency funds, something the SA government says it cannot do under a federal agreement.
She said the national drought plan, which aims to make farmers financially self-reliant, is all very well in a typical scenario.
Most farmers spend the good years preparing for the bad, but the last few seasons have made that nearly impossible.
"It's like no other drought we've ever seen," Ms Oster said.
The Victorian Farmers Federation has urged politicians to spend more time in the regions.
"Mental health is a huge concern: when farmers feel isolated, unsupported and forgotten, the consequences can be devastating for individuals and entire communities," president Brett Hosking said.
Eileen Jorgensen, who has spent a lifetime farming in Victoria, has noticed growers becoming more open about the mental toll of drought.
But distressed farmers talking to each other could only help for so long, she said.
"That is probably the darker side of the drought," Ms Jorgensen told AAP while looking out the window at her drying paddocks in the Wimmera region, in the state's west.
The Jorgensens, who grow grain and raise sheep and Clydesdale horses, are able to keep their stock watered by the Wimmera Mallee pipeline that was built after successive droughts in the early 2000s.
But others further south are having to cart water and source increasingly expensive stock feed.
Ms Jorgensen remains pragmatic, having grown up working in her father's market garden watching bad seasons come and go.
"You just know it's going to rain eventually," she said.
"It may not be tomorrow, it may not be next month, but it will rain."
Lifeline 13 11 14
beyondblue 1300 22 4636
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Playing in the snow: a taste of winter wonderland for Aussie Ark animals
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Mr Reid said rangers prepared and fed animals for a comfortable night ahead and dry straw was added to provide warm bedding where needed. "Dry straw gives the animals extra insulation against the cold. It was a calm, coordinated response from a team experienced in managing wildlife through the extremes of the Australian bush," he said. The snowfall followed severe flooding that affected the sanctuary just weeks earlier. National parks, including the Barrington Tops, remain closed until further notice. The public is urged to avoid affected areas. Gale-force winds swept across the Hunter over the King's Birthday long weekend, bringing icy temperatures and damaging weather. SNOW dusted across the Barrington Tops on Monday afternoon, turning the Aussie Ark wildlife sanctuary into a winter wonderland for its animals. Hand-raised rufous bettong, Buttercup, had a quick play in the alpine conditions before she and Parma Wallaby, Petey, were moved into indoor enclosures where they could stay warm and protected. Aussie Ark operations manager Dean Reid said while the snow wasn't deep, the strong winds and steady flurries created dramatic, alpine-like conditions that lasted well into the evening. He said the Tasmanian devils took it all in stride, relishing the icy change - a climate not unlike their native Tasmania. Just last week the sanctuary welcomed 10 new, healthy Tassie devil joeys. "A dusting of snow like this is exactly what our Tasmanian devils love; they come alive in these conditions," he said. "Watching them explore and enjoy the snow is a special reminder of how well-adapted they are to this environment." Mr Reid said rangers prepared and fed animals for a comfortable night ahead and dry straw was added to provide warm bedding where needed. "Dry straw gives the animals extra insulation against the cold. It was a calm, coordinated response from a team experienced in managing wildlife through the extremes of the Australian bush," he said. The snowfall followed severe flooding that affected the sanctuary just weeks earlier. National parks, including the Barrington Tops, remain closed until further notice. The public is urged to avoid affected areas. Gale-force winds swept across the Hunter over the King's Birthday long weekend, bringing icy temperatures and damaging weather. SNOW dusted across the Barrington Tops on Monday afternoon, turning the Aussie Ark wildlife sanctuary into a winter wonderland for its animals. Hand-raised rufous bettong, Buttercup, had a quick play in the alpine conditions before she and Parma Wallaby, Petey, were moved into indoor enclosures where they could stay warm and protected. Aussie Ark operations manager Dean Reid said while the snow wasn't deep, the strong winds and steady flurries created dramatic, alpine-like conditions that lasted well into the evening. He said the Tasmanian devils took it all in stride, relishing the icy change - a climate not unlike their native Tasmania. Just last week the sanctuary welcomed 10 new, healthy Tassie devil joeys. "A dusting of snow like this is exactly what our Tasmanian devils love; they come alive in these conditions," he said. "Watching them explore and enjoy the snow is a special reminder of how well-adapted they are to this environment." Mr Reid said rangers prepared and fed animals for a comfortable night ahead and dry straw was added to provide warm bedding where needed. "Dry straw gives the animals extra insulation against the cold. It was a calm, coordinated response from a team experienced in managing wildlife through the extremes of the Australian bush," he said. The snowfall followed severe flooding that affected the sanctuary just weeks earlier. National parks, including the Barrington Tops, remain closed until further notice. The public is urged to avoid affected areas. Gale-force winds swept across the Hunter over the King's Birthday long weekend, bringing icy temperatures and damaging weather. SNOW dusted across the Barrington Tops on Monday afternoon, turning the Aussie Ark wildlife sanctuary into a winter wonderland for its animals. Hand-raised rufous bettong, Buttercup, had a quick play in the alpine conditions before she and Parma Wallaby, Petey, were moved into indoor enclosures where they could stay warm and protected. Aussie Ark operations manager Dean Reid said while the snow wasn't deep, the strong winds and steady flurries created dramatic, alpine-like conditions that lasted well into the evening. He said the Tasmanian devils took it all in stride, relishing the icy change - a climate not unlike their native Tasmania. 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The Advertiser
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The Barrington Tops remained closed until further notice on June 9 due to recent flooding. The public is urged to avoid affected areas. WILD and windy conditions have swept through the Hunter over the King's Birthday long weekend, bringing icy temperatures and damaging weather. The gale-force winds brought down a large tree across Black Hill Road near Minmi, where emergency services were called to assist. The Bureau of Meteorology's Belinda House said a low-pressure system in southern parts of the Tasman Sea off the south coast of NSW caused the gusty environment. "The Hunter is on the northern side of that low-pressure system, so we're seeing those fairly fresh and gusty, west-northwesterly winds funnelling down through the Hunter Valley," she said. The Nobbys Head weather station recorded a wind gust of 91km/h on Monday morning, June 9, at about 11am. "Since then, it's been gusting between 70 and 90 kilometres all morning. It's likely we'll continue to see a fairly windy day right across the Hunter for the rest of the day and again tomorrow," she said. Temperatures on Monday saw Newcastle reach a top of 15 degrees with a feels-like temperature of six. Further up the Hunter, the mercury dropped with Scone and Muswellbrook forecast to reach just 12 degrees and 13 in Singleton and Cessnock. "They are really cold daytime temperatures. On Tuesday, we can expect temperatures to warm up a bit, pushing 18 or 19 degrees through parts of the coast," Ms House said. "But it will be a reasonably chilly night with parts of the Upper Hunter likely to get down to six or seven degrees." She said the combined conditions and cold temperatures were a recipe for snow to fall at Barrington Tops. "We don't specifically have a report for Barrington Tops, we have measured precipitation. So, it's cold enough, it's high enough. I think it's a safe assumption. Knowing that we've seen snow fall up through the tablelands, that there will have been some snow up there," she said. "There is no chance for snow after Monday." The Barrington Tops remained closed until further notice on June 9 due to recent flooding. The public is urged to avoid affected areas. WILD and windy conditions have swept through the Hunter over the King's Birthday long weekend, bringing icy temperatures and damaging weather. The gale-force winds brought down a large tree across Black Hill Road near Minmi, where emergency services were called to assist. The Bureau of Meteorology's Belinda House said a low-pressure system in southern parts of the Tasman Sea off the south coast of NSW caused the gusty environment. "The Hunter is on the northern side of that low-pressure system, so we're seeing those fairly fresh and gusty, west-northwesterly winds funnelling down through the Hunter Valley," she said. The Nobbys Head weather station recorded a wind gust of 91km/h on Monday morning, June 9, at about 11am. "Since then, it's been gusting between 70 and 90 kilometres all morning. It's likely we'll continue to see a fairly windy day right across the Hunter for the rest of the day and again tomorrow," she said. Temperatures on Monday saw Newcastle reach a top of 15 degrees with a feels-like temperature of six. Further up the Hunter, the mercury dropped with Scone and Muswellbrook forecast to reach just 12 degrees and 13 in Singleton and Cessnock. "They are really cold daytime temperatures. On Tuesday, we can expect temperatures to warm up a bit, pushing 18 or 19 degrees through parts of the coast," Ms House said. "But it will be a reasonably chilly night with parts of the Upper Hunter likely to get down to six or seven degrees." She said the combined conditions and cold temperatures were a recipe for snow to fall at Barrington Tops. "We don't specifically have a report for Barrington Tops, we have measured precipitation. So, it's cold enough, it's high enough. I think it's a safe assumption. Knowing that we've seen snow fall up through the tablelands, that there will have been some snow up there," she said. "There is no chance for snow after Monday." The Barrington Tops remained closed until further notice on June 9 due to recent flooding. The public is urged to avoid affected areas. WILD and windy conditions have swept through the Hunter over the King's Birthday long weekend, bringing icy temperatures and damaging weather. The gale-force winds brought down a large tree across Black Hill Road near Minmi, where emergency services were called to assist. The Bureau of Meteorology's Belinda House said a low-pressure system in southern parts of the Tasman Sea off the south coast of NSW caused the gusty environment. "The Hunter is on the northern side of that low-pressure system, so we're seeing those fairly fresh and gusty, west-northwesterly winds funnelling down through the Hunter Valley," she said. The Nobbys Head weather station recorded a wind gust of 91km/h on Monday morning, June 9, at about 11am. "Since then, it's been gusting between 70 and 90 kilometres all morning. It's likely we'll continue to see a fairly windy day right across the Hunter for the rest of the day and again tomorrow," she said. Temperatures on Monday saw Newcastle reach a top of 15 degrees with a feels-like temperature of six. Further up the Hunter, the mercury dropped with Scone and Muswellbrook forecast to reach just 12 degrees and 13 in Singleton and Cessnock. "They are really cold daytime temperatures. On Tuesday, we can expect temperatures to warm up a bit, pushing 18 or 19 degrees through parts of the coast," Ms House said. "But it will be a reasonably chilly night with parts of the Upper Hunter likely to get down to six or seven degrees." She said the combined conditions and cold temperatures were a recipe for snow to fall at Barrington Tops. "We don't specifically have a report for Barrington Tops, we have measured precipitation. So, it's cold enough, it's high enough. I think it's a safe assumption. Knowing that we've seen snow fall up through the tablelands, that there will have been some snow up there," she said. "There is no chance for snow after Monday." The Barrington Tops remained closed until further notice on June 9 due to recent flooding. The public is urged to avoid affected areas.
ABC News
20 hours ago
- ABC News
South Australian drought sets low-rainfall records in farming areas
All of South Australia's agricultural areas are in a severe drought, with many locations receiving record-low rainfall over the past 12 months. The Mid North and the upper Eyre Peninsula have had the least rainfall and the majority of the record lows, although no place in the southern part of the state is unaffected, according to data from the Bureau of Meteorology. While farmers were able to harvest a good crop in 2024–25 because of sub-soil moisture from previous wet years, the ground is now bone dry. The Mid North town of Snowtown received a record-low amount of rain in 2024, and over the past 12 months the figure is even lower at 209 millimetres. Only 26mm has been recorded at the town's weather station since the start of the year. Snowtown sheep and mixed cropping farmer Andrew Michael has seeded in the hope of rain coming. "We have no sub-soil moisture left, which has got us through now for the last two-and-a-half [years] prior to this … but the loss if we don't get a grain year will be a massive impact," he said. His family also owns properties in Meningie and Willalooka, in the South East, which have also recorded extremely low rainfall. Bureau of Meteorology senior climatologist Jonathan Pollock said South Australia's drought was not particularly long-lasting or widespread like the 1997–2009 millennium drought, but it was quite deep. "It certainly is record-breaking in the sense that for a lot of the agricultural areas they have never seen a 16-month period from February to the following year's May with rainfall this low — and that's looking at data going all the way back to 1900," Mr Pollock said. He said it was caused by the atmosphere above the state being dominated by slow-moving high-pressure systems rather than cooler systems that brought rain with them. "Part of the reason why is we've seen a shift towards drier conditions across south-eastern Australia in recent decades and we're seeing more frequent periods of below-average rainfall and especially for the cool-season months from April through to October," he said. "This is due to a combination of natural variability on longer timescales but also changes in the large-scale atmospheric circulation largely driven by an increase in greenhouse gas emissions." The bureau's latest seasonal climate summary says the mean temperature across South Australia in autumn was 21.3 degrees Celsius, or 1.75C above the 1961–1990 average and the third warmest on record for all autumns since 1910. Better farming practices that make the most of sub-soil moisture led to a 5.2-million-tonne grain harvest in 2024–25. That was 40 per cent below the five-year average but 80 per cent above what was reaped in 2006–07 — another drought year. Department of Primary Industries and Regions (PIRSA) general manager for industrial partnerships and intelligence Matthew Palmer said the productivity increase over the past 20 years was "quite remarkable and a testament to producers and the research and development that supports the grains industry". "It's certainly been a very challenging season and it continues to be, but the result overall is quite remarkable compared with what would have happened in droughts in years gone by," he told the South Australian Country Hour. Ninety-year-old Vic Smith has kept rainfall records in Nangwarry since 1985, when he moved to the town to work at the timber mill. He recorded 102mm of rain until the end of May — similar to last year but about half the normal amount. He said he was worried about the conditions of plantation forests. "It's dangerously dry," Mr Smith said. Mr Smith started calling into the ABC in 1999 to report his rainfall records while at the same time promoting the Nangwarry Forestry Museum where he volunteered until last year. He has not given up his habit despite retiring. "It's something you can look back on and compare year by year, which I do. And, if I hadn't have done that, I wouldn't have realised how much drier it was this year than other years," he said.
