01/07/2005 - Mr Greg Hunt,
Parliamentary Secretary with ministerial responsibility
for the Australian Bureau of Meteorology said
today that rainfall totals one to four times
the average have been recorded by the Bureau
through much of eastern Australia during June,
bringing much needed relief to many previously
dry areas.
"Heaviest rainfalls in recent days have
occurred near the Gold Coast and adjacent
areas of northern coastal New South Wales.
The heaviest daily rainfall observed for the
24 hours to 9 a.m. on 30 June was 510 mm at
Carrara. This is the heaviest June daily rainfall
in Australia since Springbrook set a Queensland
June record with 621 mm on 12 June 1967,"
Mr Hunt said.
"However, despite the recent heavy rains,
serious rainfall deficits accumulated over
the past three years and longer still remain
across large parts of eastern Australia. Such
long term deficits have a severe impact upon
larger dams, rivers, and urban and rural water
storages.
"Many of the drought affected regions
have still received less than 80% of their
average January to June rainfall, with many
parts of western NSW and southern Queensland
only recording totals since the start of the
year around 50% of normal. Northern SA and
inland central WA have in fact received less
than 20% of their mean rainfall since 1 January.
"The Bureau's drought statement released
today (www.bom.gov.au/climate/drought/drought.shtml)
shows that regions which had been experiencing
serious and severe rainfall deficiencies since
the start of the year, namely southern Queensland,
western NSW, eastern SA, and parts of southern
NT, have seen these extreme deficiencies removed
by the June rains.
"However areas of northern Tasmania,
central Western Australia, north western SA
and south eastern NT continue to show strong
deficiencies, as do some small areas on the
NSW/Queensland border.
"The June rainfall is in stark contrast
to the previous three months, when the same
regions generally received less than 60% of
their long-term average rainfall, with large
areas of NSW, Queensland, Victoria and SA
recording less than 20% of their average autumn
total."
The current seasonal outlook from the Bureau
suggests a 45-50% likelihood of above average
rainfall for much of the country for the July
to September period.
