Autumn break eventuates in May – BOM

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It was a wetter than average May for most of Australia, with some isolated pockets even measuring the highest rainfall on record for May, which saw the sheep and cattle markets rally towards the end of the month. The eastern- and western-most regions of the country, however, experienced ‘below-average’ rainfall – particularly along the NSW coast and in south-east Queensland.

The majority of NSW, apart from the coastline and the northeast corner, received ‘above-average’ rain during May – as did most of Victoria, SA and Tasmania. South-east Queensland recorded ‘average’ to ‘below-average’ falls for the month, while it was a wetter than usual May for the remainder of the state.

It was a contrasting month for northern and southern WA. Rainfall measured across the southern half of the state was largely ‘average’, with drier conditions in some parts. For northern WA, however, it was a mostly wetter month (although May does not traditionally receive a lot of rain in the north) – except in the Pilbara, which experienced patchy conditions.

For the most part, the tropical north recorded ‘very much above average’ rainfall during May, although there were small isolated areas registering both rainfall extremes across the Top End and the Cape – ‘lowest on record’ and ‘highest on record’.

The outlook for June to August is for the wetter conditions to continue across most of the mainland, which could provide support to the sheep and cattle markets throughout the winter months, provided conditions are not too cold to slow growth.