Parched properties from Longreach to Tibooburra to Broken Hill and out to the eastern seaboard are set for widespread heavy rain later this week. So far in 2014 the majority of NSW and QLD has merely seen half the rainfall it would typically receive by now. Longreach is one of the worst off, with less than a third its average rainfall to the end of July. The majority of both states are drought declared, but some relief is on its way. A low pressure trough is set to develop over central Queensland on Wednesday with just a few showers in southern central QLD. On Thursday and Friday the trough will deepen over Australia's interior, spreading rain all the way to eastern South Australia. Then on the weekend it will move east, drawing widespread heavy rain all the way to the eastern seaboard. Farmers will be rejoicing with the most widespread rain event since January. Widespread rain will cover a huge area with totals likely to reach 20-50mm from Longreach to Tibooburra to Broken Hill and then east to coastal areas. Isolated rainfall totals in this region are likely to exceed 100mm, even in some places west of the ranges. The Murray-Darling River Basin and the Cooper Creek basin in Queensland will be inundated by fresh rainfall, helping farmers throughout the basins for many months to come. The only downside from this event is that some parts will experience flooding from the heavy rainfall.