Recent falls of rain have offered relief to many in the district - none more so than the local farmers.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The rain recorded at the Bureau of Meterology’s Young airport weather station indicate a total of 29.4mm has fallen for the month.
It’s the best January rainfall in two years.
The 13-day figure has surpassed the 2014 January average of 16mm and smashed the seven millimetres recorded in January 2013.
It’s also just shy of the 37.8mm long-term average for the month.
But elsewhere the news is even better.
Grazier Jim Gordon, whose sheep and cattle farm is about eight kilometres west of Young on the Milvale Road, has recorded 51.25mm - or in more traditional parlance - 205 points.
“I’m absolutely wrapped, because it’s given us a cover of green feed,” Mr Gordon said.
“We’ve been recording the rain here since 1880.
“Which means someone has come out of this house everyday to record the rain since 1880, and also made comments [on the weather], isn’t it extraordinary?”
Over the last 10 years, Mr Gordon has been taking full advantage of downpours by instigating innovative practices to trap summer storm rain in his paddocks.
District agronomist Paul Parker was also recording the weekend’s rain at his Spring Creek Road home.
“On Saturday and Sunday, we had beautiful, gentle rain,” Mr Parker said.
“Much of it will soak in and start to build up our subsoil moisture profile which will get us ready for the cropping season and main pasture growth period.”
The BOM recorded 11.2mm fell at the Young Airport between Monday and Friday - 6.2mm coming in over Sunday night and Monday morning.
However the highest figure so far for the town this month was recorded last Thursday at 15mm.
Mr Parker said farmers were pleased about how the rain moisture has reduced the fire risk on their properties and will make way for “good” and early weed germination.
“It will give them the opportunity to start spraying under good conditions… they can control it now,” Mr Parker said.
“The only adverse effect is there may be several germinations if it dries up again and then rains.”
The BOM forecast a 90 per cent chance between 10 and 20mm of rain would fall in Young yesterday.
They are also predicting one millimetre will fall every day (five to 50 per cent chances) until next Monday.
