Dry July around the State
In the wake of the Bureau of Meteorology’s climate summary indicating the State was the driest July since 2002, Lower Mid North Coast residents may be wondering what this means for the region’s water supply.
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It’s been about a month since the region recorded a decent rainfall, with meteorology site, weatherzone recording just 25.4mm of rain falling during July in Forster, well below the average 84.5mm.
The driest July since records began in 1896 was in 1927 when not a drop fell into the rain gauge.
Since the start of the year 84 rainy days have produced 1073.9mm, well above the 847.4mm which fell during the same period last year.
The region was predicted to receive ‘near normal’ rainfall of four to six millimetres over the months of August and September.
But is it enough?
In February MidCoast Council introduced a moderate - level one water restriction for the region, remaining in force for about a month until the region received a decent amount of rain in the catchment areas.
MidCoast Council water services director, Brendan Guiney said the region hadn’t seen a decent rainfall since March, the month restrictions were lifted.
Mr Guinery explained how council’s water services was constantly monitoring the water levels around the region to keep on top of the storage and usage.
In regard to farmers with irrigation licences on the rivers, this was monitored and regulated by the State government, he said.
That being said, Mr Guinery explained how council and farmers have a good relationship and keep in regular contact to ensure there’s enough water to everyone.
“I don’t think we’ll need to consider water restrictions for about eight weeks if there isn’t any significant rain.”
As the water catchment basically affects the majority of people living in the region, if Gloucester’s rivers become dry, the Manning Valley and Great Lakes will also be dry.
What’s to come?
The official site in Forster recorded just 0.6mm of rain on Tuesday, August 7, but there is no predicted rain for the next seven days.
The bureau predicts sunny days with temperatures in the high teens to low 20s for the next seven days.
However, night-time temperatures will fall to single figures.