General News
8 May, 2026
Wet year despite dry month
It has been good weather to be a duck in the Wimmera, with decent falls of rain recorded all over the region.
Despite a dry April, 2026 is still a wet year, says Longerenong weatherman Brett Allender.
Statistically, April was uneventful, with rainfall recorded on only seven days.
“[It was a] settled month, particularly with the second half of April only producing 0.2mm and a long run of calm sunny days in the mid to high twenties.
“The 14mm of rainfall in the first half of April did at least bring the yearly total up to 158mm, which is still 60mm above the long-term average, though the rapidly drying countryside might tell a different story.”
Overall, April recorded 14.2mm of rainfall.
On Sunday, May 3, 20mm of rain fell in 24 hours, equaling 140% of April’s total monthly rainfall.
Resident's rainfall guages were working overtime, with some recording 34mm in Haven, 30mm in Moonambel and 24mm in Balmoral.
The Bureau of Meteorology’s Australian Water Outlook for subsoil moisture shows that most regions have experienced drying conditions this month.
However, the Wimmera and Mallee are classified as wetter than average.Taylors Lake, Sheep Hills, Brim, and Speed are all currently above 75%.
The average amount of rain received in Horsham across May is usually 32.4mm, with an average of about 5.9 days of rain.