It is still so dry here. Parts of the Park are looking quite stressed, and hot windy days are still scary.
Halls Gap received 23.0mm for March bringing the progressive total to 65.0mm,this compares to the same period last year with a progressive total of 88.0mm, and we thought that was dry!
Pomonal FOGG member Phil Williams has been recording the rainfall at his place since 1980 and says that should be long enough to discern some trends. The most obvious feature of the graph is the large variability from year to year.
From the lowest, 346mm in 1982, to the highest, 1080mm in 1992. This variability means that the ‘average’ annual rainfall is no use in predicting how much rain is likely in any one year. Also it makes it difficult to discern any trends. We can even out this variability by looking at a decade at a time. The first decade was the wettest with an average of 777mm (even thought it includes the driest year.) The second decade was drier with an average of 711mm (even though it includes the wettest year.) The third decade was driest with an average of 659mm.
This seems to be an indication of a slow but consistent decline in average annual rainfall. In the last five months we’ve had 70mm. In the corresponding five months three years ago we had 502mm! No wonder we had floods.