Area Of New South Wales Affected By Drought Edges Up From March To April

[hatrack]

New drought statistics show more of NSW is desperately in need of rain, with the south and west of the state worst affected. The April figures show the area affected by drought has increased to 59.6 per cent, from 56.5 per cent in March, NSW Primary Industries minister Ian Macdonald says.

The area of the state now considered marginal is 9.1 per cent, down from 9.6 per cent last month, while the area considered satisfactory has declined by more than 2.5 per cent to 31.3 per cent.

Mr Macdonald said the drought figures painted a picture of a state divided into those suffering from drought and those with almost too much rain. "We have a state of two halves at the moment, we have the south and west of the state in drought and the northern and coastal parts of the state in a very, very high rainfall, almost too much rainfall," Mr Macdonald told reporters at Sydney's Royal Easter Show on Friday. "So we have a very contrasting situation in our state."

Rain was desperately needed in the Riverina and south of the state, Mr Macdonald said. Dry weather had battered winter crops such as wheat and barley, with yields forecast to fall this year. "The area sown to wheat this season is forecast to drop by around seven per cent from 3.35 million hectares in 2008 to 3.1 million hectares this year, and barley is expected to be down six per cent to 714,000 hectares," he said.

EDIT

http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-news-national/more-of-nsw-is-now-in-drought-20090410-a2n3.html

[depakid]

1. "a state divided into those suffering from drought and those with almost too much rain."

That surely is the case.

Just a week or so ago around Coff's Harbor:



Mid February in Bourke (Northwest inland):