The big dry that has engulfed all of Australia seems to be coming to an end for Forbes and surrounds, with around 80mm of rain falling during the last two weekends. It comes after the Bureau of Meteorology officially announced there was a 50% chance of a La Nina weather pattern forming later this year, and in what is great news for local farmers, current weather models suggest the next three months will be wetter than usual. Temperatures should also remain above average. La Nina is basically the opposite of El Nino- the weather pattern that has brought Australia bone-dry conditions over the last six months.
Bureau of Meteorology climatologist Agatha Turkey said much rain had fallen right across the Central West region. “For the most part April was a very dry month, but it finished off with some good rainfall right at the end,” she said. “We’ve already seen good rainfall so far this month as well, and the further west you go, some areas have already received their May average rainfall.” “It’s been a good start to the month, especially on the back of a dry February, March and April, and the couple of months preceding those.”
It has still been a drier than average start to the year for Forbes, with 25 days of recorded rainfall seeing 178.2mm fall, compared with the historical average of 185.2mm to May.
But with the tropical Pacific Ocean currently transitioning from warmer waters to cooler waters, Ms Turkey said El Nino was on its way out, and that neutral conditions or La Nina would follow in the second half of the year.
“The Indian Ocean is still quite warm, so this could bring some good falls for local farmers across winter,” she said.
By Joshua Matic