Weather News

Lengthy dry spell taking hold across NSW

Brett Dutschke, Thursday May 7, 2015 - 15:23 AEST

The weather pattern has altered abruptly, as it often does at this time of year, with a high pressure ridge taking over from low pressure, allowing almost all of New South Wales to dry out.

This will be good news for areas hit hard by recent floods.

Much of the coast and ranges has already received near-or-above their autumn rainfall, and we are not even half way through the season. And parts of the Hunter and Mid North Coast have already received about 80 percent of their annual rainfall so far this year, half of that falling in only a few days.

For parts of the west and south of the state the news is not so good.

Narrabri, Walgett, Lightning Ridge and Cobar only have about 15 percent of their annual rainfall so far and this comes after a drier than normal 2014 and 2013.

For the fortnight almost all of NSW will fail to gain significant rain due to the likely persistent high pressure ridge.

Due to changes in the upper atmosphere jet-stream we are now getting fronts crossing south-eastern Australia so frequently that they continue to cool and dry out the air. There is not enough time between fronts for moisture to build.

Only areas south from the ACT will see showers and these will generally be light and focussed on the slopes and ranges. There is also a chance for the north-eastern NSW to get a day or two of showers but nothing notable.

In a few weeks we can expect the pattern to shift, increasing the risk of decent rain. This is most likely to come about from another low or trough drawing moisture from the Pacific Ocean and/or a north-west cloud band bringing moisture from the Indian Ocean.

- Weatherzone

© Weatherzone 2015

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