1345.4 - SA Stats, May 2010  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 25/05/2010   
   Page tools: Print Print Page Print all pages in this productPrint All

WATER


RAINFALL

According to the Bureau of Meteorology's Seasonal Climate Summary for South Australia, Summer 2009-10 delivered temperatures well above average with variable rainfall across districts.

Summer rainfall totals across most of South Australia were generally near average, with the exception of the north east which had above average rainfall totals. Pastoral districts produced above average rainfall in December and particularly through February which resulted in a wetter than average summer season.

Agricultural districts further south remained near average, while the northern Eyre Peninsula and the Mount Lofty and Southern Flinders ranges had below average summer rainfall as a whole.

Rainfall totals in the pastoral areas were extremely variable ranging from 20mm to 100mm, with higher localised totals at some locations of over 150mm. Moomba Airport recorded South Australia's highest summer rainfall of 270.4mm, most of this occurring during February. This season represented Moomba's third wettest summer since records began in 1972.

Diagram: Rainfall

Source: 3-monthly rainfall anomalies for South Australia, Australian Bureau of Meteorology


RESERVOIR LEVELS

The Bureau of Meteorology reported generally close to average rainfall in the Adelaide and hills region in April 2010, with the highest rainfall recorded at Mount Lofty (82.6mm). The total water storage in Adelaide's reservoirs at the end of April remained the same as in March; 61% of capacity. This level is considerably higher than the levels available in April 2009 (54%) and April 2008 (46%).

TOTAL RESERVOIR STORAGE, As a percentage of capacity, Adelaide
Graph: TOTAL RESERVOIR STORAGE, As a percentage of capacity, Adelaide


Source: SA Water daily reservoir levels