Drought?

Preface:

I wrote this post at the beginning of October.

On Saturday, 3rd of October, the heavens opened up and we had torrential rain and severe thunderstorms over a number of hours.

Our local weather station recorded 60mm but we got a lot more.

There was even a tornado in our nearby town which caused some damage.

The water situation on our property has clearly now changed.

A new post is in the pipeline.

El Niño 

The Australian Bureau of Meteorology notes that Pacific indicators and a strongly negative Southern Oscillation Index (SOI) reflect a robust El Niño signal continuing through spring and summer.
Impacts on Australia:
-Higher Temperatures: Increases the likelihood of extended heatwaves and above-average temperatures, particularly across the southern and eastern parts of the country.
-Reduced Rainfall & Drought: Lowers rainfall totals across many eastern and northern regions, worsening ongoing or developing dry conditions.
-Increased Bushfire Risk: Combined with dry vegetation and a warming climate, the dry and hot pattern elevates the threat of dangerous fire weather heading into the warmer months.

Our rainfall stats throughout the year so far has reflected the second point.

It is even more obvious when you look at the condition of our dams.

They are extremely low and in danger of becoming stagnant and developing algae blooms or are dry.

Thankfully we only have four cows to water but they can consume anything from 30-80 litres each a day depending on temperatures.

We have a plan in place to supply stock drinking water from our domestic supply if things go pear shaped.

Another indicator of drought is the state of our creek.

It’s completely dry for the first time in at least 20 years. 

We can walk along its bed the whole length as it winds itself through our property on its way, 10km or so, from the hills behind us to the coastal lake and eventually the ocean.