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Maximum temperatures today (above)
and their departures from normal (below). BoM  |
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| Below: Minimum
temperature departures from normal this morning. BoM |
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 Heatwave
moves east
The
heatwave that has roasted WA for the past week drifted east into
SA today giving tempetures above the old century
mark to much of the state. Ceduna was the hottest spot with a top
of 41.7, 15.9 above average. In contrast, moist southerlies made
Albany WA the coolest place in the nation with a top of only
16.4. Minimum temperatures this morning were 10 to 12 above the
norm in SE WA and SW SA.
 Drought
effects
still felt
While
drought conditions have eased overall across the nation,
they are still creating hardship for many.
In NSW, the cereal crop harvest is under way but producing patchy
yields due to a combination of low subsoil moisture following 3 years
of drought and recent frosts and hot, dry winds. NSW Agriculture's
cereal specialist, Frank McRae, told ABC News that some canola and
barley crops at Tottenham in the west of the State are being harvested
at 24 bags to an acre, while neighbouring
properties are only getting two to three bags.
"We're getting some reports of good crops in some areas and
on the same properties in the same districts some very disappointing
results, so overall I probably think that right through the State
it's going to be a disappointing harvest," he said. "So
this will be for some producers in some areas the third harvest in
a row without any significant income."
In the Goulburn and Yass regions, where about 2,500 farmers have
just been offered additional drought assistance, The manager of the
Yass Rural Lands Protection Board, Kim Turner, says "The country
is turning very quickly, we need rain now, but the country that was
looking a nice sort promising green is now beginning
to brown off, and a lot of the grass is going to seed."
In QLD, the drought is producing mixed effects. Water supplies
are still critically low in places. South of Brisbane, Beaudesert's
Maroon Dam is at 18% capacity, just enough to supply the area with
water for one year under tight restrictions. In the Burdekin region
around Mackay, however, drought conditions followed by timely rain
have seen sugar crops flourish with the Victor, Pioneer, Kalamia
and Inkerman mills expected to crush a record 9.15 million tonnes
this year.
News sources: ABC
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