Silvia
XPdite Hero
There are ominous signs of a return to drought with much of Australia going through an exceptionally dry three months.
The Bureau of Meteorology said Perth has just experienced its driest March in 31 years, while Canberra has gone through its seventh-driest March on record.
The bureau is warning of a greater chance of an El Nino weather phenomenon, normally associated with drought in Australia.
Many parts of regional Australia are still recovering from the 2002 drought which was one of the worst in the past 100 years.
Many towns and capital cities are still on water restrictions because water storages are well down on long-term averages.
The bureau said Victoria had been hard hit by the recent dry, with some towns recording the smallest first quarter rains on record.
In the Mallee Quambatook received just 1.2 millimetres in the first three months of the year, while Cobram in the mid-Murray region recorded six mm.
"The first quarter of 2004 has seen much of Victoria experiencing one of its driest starts to a year on record," the bureau said in a statement.
Melbourne's rain for the year of 88.8mm was almost 50mm short of its long term average.
"The city received below normal rainfall in every year between 1997 and 2003," the bureau said.
"This was the first time on record, that there have been seven dry years in succession."
Across the continent, Perth got no rain at all in March compared to an average of 20 mm.
The last time the state capital went through a dry March was in 1973.
Perth has now had the driest opening three months to a year on record. Just two mm of rain has been recorded in local rain gauges.
Tasmania also recorded a dry spell, with some parts of the state's west recording their driest March in a decade.
Five of the last six months have been dry across the island state.
Of growing concern is the likelihood of a return of El Nino.
A computer model used by the bureau now puts the chances of an El Nino developing later this year at 65 per cent.
"This is more than double the natural or historical frequency of occurrence," it said.
National Farmers' Federation president Peter Corish said central and southern NSW, Victoria and across to West Australia were all enduring severely dry conditions.
He said there was as yet no reason to panic, but without good rains in coming weeks the situation could become dire.
"Over the next three to four weeks we would hope to see some good rains across all of these areas," he said.
"But it would be very serious if we don't get that break."
The Bureau of Meteorology said Perth has just experienced its driest March in 31 years, while Canberra has gone through its seventh-driest March on record.
The bureau is warning of a greater chance of an El Nino weather phenomenon, normally associated with drought in Australia.
Many parts of regional Australia are still recovering from the 2002 drought which was one of the worst in the past 100 years.
Many towns and capital cities are still on water restrictions because water storages are well down on long-term averages.
The bureau said Victoria had been hard hit by the recent dry, with some towns recording the smallest first quarter rains on record.
In the Mallee Quambatook received just 1.2 millimetres in the first three months of the year, while Cobram in the mid-Murray region recorded six mm.
"The first quarter of 2004 has seen much of Victoria experiencing one of its driest starts to a year on record," the bureau said in a statement.
Melbourne's rain for the year of 88.8mm was almost 50mm short of its long term average.
"The city received below normal rainfall in every year between 1997 and 2003," the bureau said.
"This was the first time on record, that there have been seven dry years in succession."
Across the continent, Perth got no rain at all in March compared to an average of 20 mm.
The last time the state capital went through a dry March was in 1973.
Perth has now had the driest opening three months to a year on record. Just two mm of rain has been recorded in local rain gauges.
Tasmania also recorded a dry spell, with some parts of the state's west recording their driest March in a decade.
Five of the last six months have been dry across the island state.
Of growing concern is the likelihood of a return of El Nino.
A computer model used by the bureau now puts the chances of an El Nino developing later this year at 65 per cent.
"This is more than double the natural or historical frequency of occurrence," it said.
National Farmers' Federation president Peter Corish said central and southern NSW, Victoria and across to West Australia were all enduring severely dry conditions.
He said there was as yet no reason to panic, but without good rains in coming weeks the situation could become dire.
"Over the next three to four weeks we would hope to see some good rains across all of these areas," he said.
"But it would be very serious if we don't get that break."