Dry April for most of the country

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April was a very dry month for most of Australia’s key sheep and cattle producing regions.

The only exceptions were south-west WA (up to 100mm) and pockets of western NSW (up to 25mm), where ‘above-average’ falls were recorded for the month (Bureau of Meteorology – BOM).

Rainfall throughout Queensland and the NT was patchy for the last month of the northern wet season. Falls were heavier towards the coast, however the majority of both states measured ‘below average’ rain, and, particularly throughout Queensland, with areas of ‘very much below average’ and the ‘lowest on record’.

Rainfall across most of central and western NSW was ‘average’ (up to 25mm), while parts of the southern and eastern regions of the state recorded ‘below average’ and ‘very much below average’.

The majority of Victoria and Tasmania had a drier than average April, while rainfall in SA was mostly across the southern half of the state (‘average’ falls), with the northern areas remaining fairly dry during the month.

Apart from the south-west corner and the northernmost tip of WA, the rest of the state received up to 10mm during April – ranging from ‘average’ to ‘very much below average’.

The contrasting east and west rainfall during April was evident in the cattle markets particularly, with the Eastern Young Cattle Indicator edging lower, while at the same time, the Western equivalent edged higher.

Fortunately, the BOM’s three-month rainfall outlook is a lot more positive for large parts of the country, with most of mainland Australia having a 60-75% chance of exceeding the median rainfall for the May to July period.