Its a start but we need more rain
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Sunday 11.17am: Looking towards Mullaley
Sunday 7.11am: Nyngan/Dandaloo Rd
Sunday 4.21pm: Wauchope
Sunday 8.15am: Warren
Sunday 7.31am: Back Bogan Rd, Nyngan
Saturday 4.13pm: Nyngan/Dandaloo Rd
Saturday 4.15pm: Nyngan
Sunday 8.45am: Heading towards Coonabarbran.
Thursday 3.56pm: Heading towards Warren.
At a property on the outskirts of Nyngan the sound of rain on the roof sends everyone outside to check it out – is light but its consistent and welcome.
Waking up the next morning there was only 5mm in the rain gauge, with a further 1mm recorded that day.
Travelling throughout a dry and dusty western NSW, the talk of the forecasted rain was on everyones lips on Thursday and Friday. Events were even cancelled ahead of the expecting rain.
But the widespread rain over the weekend was “hit and miss” with places like Coffs Harbour receiving 60mm while others west of Bourke received nothing but patchy rain.
Video: @sams_farm_miles
The “hit and miss” rain was even evident at Nyngan where next door to where I was staying on the Nyngan/Dandaloo Rd, just 2km away, recorded 18mm (compared to the 6mm I looked at) and further into Nyngan there was 19mm.
But to those who received any rainfall on Sunday “it was a start”.
“It will help the grass as the days get longer and it will give the crops another week,” Clare McConochie from Nyngan said.
“Coming into town everything has greened up, which is a nice sight.”
But she said they need at least 50mm to 60mm to make a difference and vital follow-up. The last decent rainfall Mrs McConochie recorded was 41mm in May.
Heading back home on the Nyngan/Dandaloo Road around 7am there were puddles across the gravel with just spots on the window screen.
But by the Back of Bogan Rd, the rain started to get harder as kangaroos darted long the fence-line.
Around 8am, the welcome sign to Warren had a pool of water in front of it after a decent deluge.
By 11am, Bruce Riley, who lives 8km from Mullaley and 30km from Gunnedah, had 24.5mm but only recorded 12mm at his other block, just 15km away.
In the same weather event there were small hail stones.
“To us it gives people hope that it hasnt forgotten how to rain,” Mr Riley said.
While he had puddles across his front drive when I arrived, they had all but evaporated by the end of our conversation.
Like those in Nyngan, Mr Riley said they need around 60mm to be able to sow sorghum this year.
“We will be fine, then we hope to get another storm by Christmas or January to make things really fire,” he said.
The rain was patchy from Tamworth to Walcha where a bright rainbow came out (if only there was a bucket load of rain at the end of it).
What our readers recorded
Fairfax Media put a call out on facebook yesterday asking our readers what they recorded at their place. Check out the rainfalls across the state.
- Caroline Chad: 32mm north/east of Dubbo
- Diane Brown: 48mls as at 7am today at Delungra
- Craig McDonald: 20mm near Narromine – “The most rain in one fall since December 2017.”
- Gerald Honner: 24mm Marys Mount west of Gunnedah.
- Ross Ebeling: 15mm since yesterday in Oberon
- Amy Dickens: Were up to 14mm Yeoval
- Kerry Tucker: 40 mmm so far and still a drizzle happening here at Goolma
- Alison Morrison: 29 and a half at Reidsdale ( near Braidwood )
- Daniel Blundell:15mm at quirindi up untill 1.59 pm to day Sunday
- Mary MacSmith: 5mil at 9am 26/8 near Garra (between Molong and Manildra).
- Debbie Godwin: 30 mm so far in Dunedoo
- Fiona Worthy: 39mm at our farm in Camp Creek NSW
- Fran Bulmer: Bolivia Station Tenterfield 35mls to Sunday 10am
- Ashley Gardner: 19mm near Gunnedah
- Darran Edwards: 50mm Inverell
- Maryanne Boyd 20 kms north of Bathurst have 18 mls
This story Its a start but we need more rain first appeared on Western Magazine.
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Nyngan Observer
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