NSW: Best rain in over a decade falls in a NW/SE band across the state

There were general falls of 50 to well over 100mm across central parts of the state in the 24 hours to 9am as a depression tracked SE from the northwest corner of NSW during the day (See charts). A broad trough over the state has been drawing very moist tropical air into NSW, while the depression has enhanced instability in an already unstable atmosphere.

Farmers are delighted with replenished subsoil moisture and full dams, which in many areas have been dry for 18 months or more. The rain follows good falls on 5-6 January. A number of highest daily rainfall records were set (See records) of which the most significant were 120.4mm at Tilpa (Trevallyn) in the far NW of the state, their heaviest February fall in 35 years of observations, and 92.0 at Burrinjuck Dam, its heaviest February fall in 102 years. Cootamundra Airport's 84.0mm and Ivanhoe Airport's 62.6 were all-time records for the stations in fairly short periods of operation. I was in the Cootamundra area at the height of the rain, and seeing sheets of water stream off paddocks filling dams as I watched was an unforgettable sight.

ABC Regional Radio reported that one farm near Tullamore, 80km NW of Parkes, received 230mm over the weekend, and that other good weekend falls across the region included 150mm at Grenfell, 130mm at Condobolin and Parkes, 112mm at Hillston and 110mm at Forbes. The Bureau of Meteorology said it was the wettest three days for Forbes in at least 15 years and the wettest two days in Condobolin for February in 15 years. In Canberra, some of the best rain since 2002 fell with totals for the event of 100mm or more.

Some interviews conducted by ABC Rural give an idea of the significance of this rain event.

Chris Groves has lived on his Cowra wheat and sheep farm for 16 years and says he has not seen a rainfall event like it since he moved there. "The only other one that comes anywhere near it was back in 1995 and that was when we recorded 85 mm in one event. Every dam on the farm now has water in it and I think there's only two which haven't overflowed. Of the 25 dams on my farm, just two had water in them in December. The weekend before this weekend just passed we had 60mm of rain, so it's starting to add up. Some of the grass paddocks are now coming away well. There's also a good germination of clover, and we're set up well for lambing in a few weeks."

Graham McDonald, who grows wheat and has about 4000 sheep at Condobolin, says his property had 120mm over three days. "It was beautiful rain," he told ABC Rural. "This is probably the best rain I can remember that's spread over the entire district. I think most dams in the district are now full or overflowing." Mr McDonald flew over the district on Sunday to see the rain's impact. "Nearly all of the creeks have water running into them," he said. "There's a lot of water out there. There was some isolated flooding. There were a couple of properties where the water was up around the house. But I don't think it's been damaging flooding." Mr McDonald says he will be starting lambing in a month's time.

Daniel Cooper runs a mixed cropping and sheep operation at Caragabal. He told ABC Radio the weekend storms delivered the best rain he's seen in years. "We got between 100 mm and 120 mm over the weekend. It's been fantastic. It's filled up all our water storage dams, which means we won't have to cart water for our stock anymore. It's a job we're glad to see the back of. We had between 20 mm to 40 mm last weekend as well. So the soil is starting to get quite damp. We start lambing in a couple of months, so it'll get some feed growing and give us an opportunity to sow some forage crops."

The rain has not been without its tragedies and problems. A woman died while trying to cross the flooded Tuena Creek north of Crookwell. The SES responded to a string of rescues and narrow escapes from vehicles in flood waters, including a pregnant woman near Tibooburra in NW NSW. There was flash flooding in the areas around Condobolin through to Forbes and Parkes, as well as around Goulburn and Queanbeyan. The SES received more than 300 calls for help across NSW, mostly for flood and storm damage, trees down and leaking roofs. Flood rescues were carried out at Captains Flat, Bungendore and near Forbes. A house at Oberon had to be sandbagged, and two properties were evacuated in the far west.

On 17 February, natural disaster declarations were made for the Central Darling and Cobar shires, where up to $6m damage had been caused to roads, bridges and causeways. These enable Councils and other approved businesses and individuals to access funding for infrastructure repair. The main White Cliffs to Wilcannia road remains closed with helicopters being used to get supplies to White Cliffs and isolated properties. Most secondary roads in western NSW are also closed.

Flood warnings continued for the Paroo, Barwon-Darling and Warrego Rivers, and new ones were issued for the Bogan after an average of 91mm fell across the catchment over two days to midday today, and the Molonglo River east of Canberra after around 100mm was recorded in the 24 hours to noon. In the ACT, SES attended 400 call-outs for flood and rain related problems - one of the busiest weekends on record with 130 volunteers in action.

Warm conditions accompanying the moisture are causing weed growth, while the Australian Plague Locust Commission says the wet weather in the state's west has made conditions ideal for locust plague development, but is having difficulty getting into the area due to impassable roads. The heavy rain has also caused some fruit damage, and splitting of wine grapes ready for harvest.

SA, QLD: Recent Outback rains "best in years". Areas of NE SA have had some of their best rain in a decade. John Osborne, a resident of Innamincka in the state's far northeast, told ABC News that consistent rain in the past week followed by a weekend downpour had resulted in Cooper Creek now being about 8 metres deep, and that water is about to flow down Strzelecki Creek for the first time since the early 1990s. Moomba recorded 62.8mm to 9am yesterday and 58.4mm to 9am today, following on from a fall of 62.2mm to 9am 3 February, bringing its month-to-date total to 219mm, almost 10 times the February norm and also higher than the annual average rainfall for Moomba which was 207.2mm at the old site and is 149.9mm at the new airport site. It is also already the wettest year since 1998 there.

Mr Osborne said Innamincka had recorded about 33mm on Friday and 31 today. Roads and airstrips in the area are closed and trucks have been stuck for about three weeks, cutting off all supplies of fresh food. Just over the border in QLD, Birdsville recorded 59.2mm to 9 this morning, their first significant rainfall since 50.6mm fell on 7 January 2009. Other heavy falls in far SW QLD included 69.2 at Thargomindah and 65.2 at Ballera Gas Field.

VIC: Mallee bushfire contained. A scrub fire that burnt through 180 hectares of Wyperfeld National Park about 25km SW of Patchewollock was contained late this evening.