March 23 2018

Conflicting weather reports have been frustrating locals as the town waits for much needed rain to fall.

The weather services have frustrated locals over the years, it has rained when there is supposed to be little chance of it and then it doesn’t rain when there is a big chance of it and we’ve been made to look foolish when we report rainfall is on the cards and nothing falls.

Earlier this week there was hopes that there be up to 10mm of rain on Sunday, then it dropped to a maximum of 5mm then 1mm and then back up to 4mm and now sits at 3mm.

We need the rain, at this time last year we received 65.4mm of rain and so far this year we’ve received 19.2mm and most of that came in a single day.

It has not even rained 0.2mm on any day this month as of 11:45am on Friday March 23 and if it continues for the next week it will be the driest March since 0.2mm in 2003.

In 2010 Deniliquin received 139.6mm of rain which stands as the record according to Weatherzone, we would certainly love that 139.6mm.

74% of the Murray is on Drought Watch, 17.5% are OK, 7.9% is recovering and 0.4% is on drought onset.

Deniliquin is part of the 74% that are on ‘Drought Watch’, more details can be found at the Department of Primary Industries’ ‘Combined Drought Indicator‘.

Aside from the rain, people want better weather indicators for locals want to plan for the best and prepare for the worst when it comes to rainfall.

Let us hope that it rains this weekend and more often down the track.