Dubbo has received a quarter of its average winter rainfall in 2017.
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On Thursday morning a mere 32.8 millimetres (mm) of rain had fallen across June, July and August.
Bureau of Meteorology data reveals average rainfall for the three months totals 130.8mm.
In June a total of 9.2mm of rain was recorded at the bureau’s automatic weather station at Dubbo City Regional Airport, with 8.4mm of rain falling in the 24 hours to 9am on June 29.
Officially, not a drop of rain hit the ground for the first 23 days of June.
But July proved drier than June with a tally of 3mm of rain resulting from four showers, the heaviest delivering 1.8mm of rain in the 24 hours to 9am on July 4.
The final 10 days of July were practically dry as a bone, making wet weather at the start of August a welcome event.
The bureau reports of 5.6mm of rain falling in the 24 hours to 9am on August 1, and 14.8mm of rain in the 24 hours to 9am on August 4.
The two showers produced 20.4mm of rain, all but 0.2mm of the total rainfall for the month of 20.6mm.
A 22-day stretch of dry weather was broken by the 0.2mm of rain received in the 24 hours to 9am on August 28.
Bureau data collected since 1994 reveals that it holds the record for Dubbo’s driest June. Only 4mm was collected in June 1994.
On Thursday, the final day of winter and August 2017, 1998 still held the record for the lowest July rainfall in the 23-year period. In July 1998 3mm of rain fell in the city.
August 1998 delivered 0.4mm of rain, claiming the record for the lowest rainfall for the month.
The bureau’s seven-day forecast as of Thursday morning suggested the rain tally for August 2017 would not change.
A morning frost would be followed by a sunny day, it reported.
The start of September 2017 does not look like it will ease the strain of insufficient rain on the city and its residents.
The best chance of rain is on Sunday when the bureau is predicting a light shower or two.
There is a 50 per cent chance of up to 3mm of rain falling.
On Monday there is a slight chance of a shower.
Average rainfall in Dubbo during the month of September is 46.1mm, October 43.8mm, November 61.4mm and December 62.8mm.
