Record dry continues in southeast Australia
© 2000 Reuters Limited
September 11, 2000
SYDNEY - Australia's August rainfall was generally below average in regions that had been affected by deficiencies at the end of July, the National Climate Centre at the Bureau of Meteorology said.
In particular there was no improvement in the southeast of the country where deficiencies had been present for nearly four years, it said.
Rainfall for the past 47 months in southern Victoria and in the southeast of South Australia were the lowest for the region since at least 1900, it said.
For the seven months to August 31 this year, the rainfall deficient region of southeast Queensland expanded into the northeast corner of New South Wales following below average August rainfall, it said.
A small area of rainfall deficiency also persisted to the southeast of Perth in Western Australia, it said.
In Tasmania, however, the deficiency eased in the east of the state because of above-average August rainfall, it said.