The 100 year drought

Nordale Delungra. January 2017 – December 2019 (36 months)

After reasonably high rain fall over the winter of 2016 no one was expecting 2017 to turn exceptionally dry. It was fortunate for us that we had not suffered the dry period from 2012 – 2015 that many parts of the state and Queensland had already experienced, Australia is well known for extended periods of low rainfall and there have been many previous years of drought. Delungra however has always been considered as moderately drought safe.

On the 12 Feb 2017 Delungra recorded a temperature of 41.5 and it was days like these that sucked every last bit of moisture from the ground. The period from January 2017 to December 2019 recorded the lowest rainfall over a 36 month period on record making it drier than the previous 2 recorded periods of drought being 1965-1967 and the Federation drought of 1900 – 1902. It was this statistic that made me feel relieved, it wasn’t irrational to be feeling desperation, this was an extremely dry and difficult time.


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