Unexpected rain ups supplies

But, much of the state missed out on rain, as SA returns to a more traditional, drier summer.

The state’s heaviest rainfall last week was recorded at Bruce, halfway between Quorn and Wilmington, with 48 millimetres.

Not far behind was Carrieton with 46mm, Willowie and Mount Barry with 45mm and Orroroo, 44mm.

Handy falls were also recorded at Tarcoola, 31mm, Marree, 29mm, Glendambo, 26mm, Yunta, 23mm, and Braemar, 21mm.

Areas of the Eyre Peninsula also had 6-18mm, with the highest reading at Nundroo on the Far West Coast with 28mm.

For Upper North farmer Stephen McKeough, who farms at Dawson, north of Peterborough, the rain meant a dam that was virtually empty two weeks ago is now full.

“The forecast was only for 5mm to 10mm, so it was a bit of a surprise how much came through,” he said.

“I ended up with 35mm in the gauge at Dawson.”

Neighbouring areas ended up with 50mm.

Mr McKeough said this was the biggest rainfall reading for a long time.

“I had flooding at the end of 2016, and ended up with 100mm, and these are the heaviest falls since,” he said.

Mr McKeough said thunderstorms in December also helped make a difference.

“Feed is coming up quite well, especially on the northern end of the property,” he said.

Orroroo farmer Geoff Power received 37mm last week.

“It was pretty patchy, you didn’t have to go too far and others missed out,” he said.

Teetulpa’s Ros and Warren Breeding, via Yunta, received 18mm last week, which helped freshen the station up. Mrs Breeding said conditions were dry last year, up until October. 

“We hadn't had any significant rain since March, but we ended up with more than our annual average,” she said.

The Bureau of Meteorology’s three-month outlook shows wetter-than-average conditions for the west of the country, but there are no strong indicators for below or above average rainfall for SA.