Weather News

add to my site

Rain drives out drought across NSW

By Joanna Woodburn, Friday February 3, 2012 - 09:04 EDT

A small section of the central west is the only part of New South Wales which is on the cusp of slipping into drought.

One-and-a-half per cent of the state, which includes the Nyngan and Coonamble districts, is classified as marginal.

The Livestock Health and Pest Authority (LHPA) says every other region is satisfactory thanks to the recent widespread rain.

The general manager of the central west LHPA, Narelle Rodway, says farmers at Nyngan and Coonamble have not had the falls which have saturated other parts of the north-west.

"It's missed out on most of the rain," she said.

"It's had light showers.

"So it's attracted a little bit of rain and it's certainly improving but it hasn't had the rainfall that some of the other areas have had and some of it's quite hard ground too, particularly in that area south-west of Nyngan.

"So it needs a little bit extra to really bring it on well."

Ms Rodway says landholders in these two regions need more rain.

"Unfortunately the rain doesn't make the grass grow today it's going to take a couple of weeks to really come on well," she said.

"So if we can get a bit of follow-up rain, keep coming, I think that area will pick up dramatically."

- ABC

© ABC 2012