The whole region has received a bombardment of rain in recent times, with Yass being no exception.
So far in the month of October, Yass has had 108.4mm of rain, well above the 83.8mm total monthly average since 1908.
A large portion of this rain came on Thursday, 6 October, when the Yass district received 52.4mm of rain.
Halfway through the month of October, the Yass district could potentially beat its wettest-ever year of 225.8mm in 1975.
The Bureau of Meteorology has reported that “for New South Wales as a whole, September rainfall was 126% above the 1961–1990 monthly average, the 5th-highest September rainfall on record (since records began in 1900) and the wettest September since 2016.”
The Bureau also reported that “monthly rainfall across the state was mostly above average, especially over the Lower Western, Central West Slopes and Plains, Northern Tablelands, Mid North Coast and the Northern Rivers districts, where monthly totals at many sites were around 2 to 4 times their monthly average.”
The Riverina is highly dependent on the production of crops, in particular canola crops, with the Riverina Canola Plant currently shipping an estimated 32,000 tonnes of oil per year.
With record rainfalls already and more predicted to come, a clear effect on the harvesting of crops is set to follow.
Depending on how ripe the seed or grain was when the rain fell, oilseeds can be susceptible to sprouting in the head if they receive enough rainfall and then can’t dry out quickly.
Riverina Local Land Services has stated, “many of our customers are experiencing challenges from recent rainfall and localised flooding events along creek-lines and natural watercourses. Fencing infrastructure has been damaged, fodder quality on the ground has been impacted severely and harvest is proving to be just as challenging with quality downgrades, poor paddock trafficability and labour shortages.”
The cause of our third wet season in a row is a La Niña event in the tropical Pacific, which increases the chance of above-average rainfall for northern and eastern Australia during spring and summer.
The Bureau of Meteorology states that, “both atmospheric and oceanic indicators of the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) are consistent with an established La Niña, including tropical Pacific sea surface temperatures, the Southern Oscillation Index (SOI), trade wind strength, and equatorial cloudiness.”
“Models indicate the La Niña may peak during spring and return to neutral conditions early in 2023. Sea surface temperatures in the tropical Pacific have weakened a little compared to two weeks ago while the SOI has continued to rise and is currently well above La Niña thresholds,” the Bureau also stated.
It is predicted by the Bureau of Meteorology that another 35mm will come across Thursday and Friday this week.
Ed Dodds
