Rainfall up in 2019

The Warragul area had its wettest year since 2012 with 972.4mm recorded.

While rainfall levels varied across the West Gippsland region, rainfall recorded at the Bureau of Meteorology station at Nilma North indicated total rainfall for 2019 rose significantly from the 772.4mm in 2018.

This annual rainfall ranks 2019 as the fourth wettest of the decade. The 2010 to 2012 totals each surpassed 1000mm.

However, the 2019 total was still just short of the 115-year average which sits at 1007mm.

After a wet spring, December produced a below average 31.4mm.

Rain came early in the month with 19.4mm on December 2, 7mm on December 3 and 2.6mm on December 14.

There was no rain across 15 consecutive days before the year ended with 0.4mm on New Year’s Eve.

Despite a drier than average start to the year, the region had above average rainfall for five months.

January was the driest month with just 10.4mm, well below the 50.7mm average.. Significant rain – but still below average – followed in February to April.

May had rain on 20 days, with 29.2mm on May 30 ensuring an above average monthly total of 123.2mm.

June saw below average rain whilst July’s 99.0mm total was only slightly above average.

Needing rain before spring, August was wet. The 172.6mm was well above the 115-year average of 103.8mm, with almost 90mm of rain dumped on the region over three days.

This was backed up by 129.8mm in September, above the average of 103.1mm.

Spring concluded with a huge 153.8mm in November, well up on the 90.2mm average.

Gippsland Water last month announced most customers won’t be impacted by water restrictions this summer, despite ongoing dry conditions.

Managing director Sarah Cumming said the majority of towns’ water supplies are in good shape thanks to decent rainfall in August, September and November.

“Our Moondarra Reservoir and allocation at Blue Rock Reservoir, which service the Latrobe Valley, are both 100 per cent full. To the west, our new interconnecting pipeline between Moe and Warragul will further support the Tarago system that serves Warragul and Drouin.”