Cobar’s weather continued to be sunny and dry last week with temperatures well above the May average due to a dominant high pressure system across Southern Australia.
While daytime temperatures ranging to 24 and 25 degrees were unseasonally warm and pleasant the total lack of autumn rain, desperately needed for livestock feed and winter crops, is creating major concern for the region’s pastoralists and farmers.
April was one of the driest and coolest months on record with Cobar receiving a meagre total of just 6mm of rain.
No rain has been registered for May so far and with the retreat of La Nina weather patterns, a return to total drought conditions by the onset of winter is now likely.
A continuation of the ‘Big Dry’ is not only alarming news for Cobar, but the entire Murray-Darling Basin.
In a recent report, the Bureau of Meteorology’s National Climate Centre, said the basin had mostly had good summer rains but they barely ‘made a dent’ in the drought because of the extremely dry autumn that followed.
The La Nina weather pattern, which usually brings rain to eastern Australia, seems to have run its course, the Bureau reported, and although average rainfall is predicted for the remainder of the year, a return to extremely dry conditions is also possible.
The forecast for the latter part of this week indicates a weakening of the current high pressure system and the likelihood of scattered showers and storms across eastern and northern NSW.
Cooler conditions are expected for the weekend with maximum temperatures ranging from 15 to 18 degrees.