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Weekly Climate and Agricultural Report: Week Ending 14 August 2024
In the week ending 14 August 2024, a series of low-pressure troughs, a low-pressure system, and a cold front brought signifcant rainfall to eastern Australia, with totals reaching up to 200 millimetres. In south-western Western Australia and Tasmania, rainfall totals reached up to 50 millimetres.
In key cropping regions, Queensland received rainfall totals ranging from 10 to 150 millimetres, while much of New South Wales recorded falls between 5 and 50 millimetres. This rainfall is expected to bolster winter crop yield prospects and enhance soil moisture reserves, which will be crucial for the timely planting of summer crops. Western Australian cropping regions experienced rainfall of between 5 and 25 millimetres.
Looking ahead, low-pressure systems are forecasted to bring further rainfall to the southern half of the country, while a high-pressure system is anticipated to keep the northern half dry and largely cloud-free.
Across cropping regions, rainfall totals of between 10 and 50 millimetres are expected in Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria, and southern New South Wales.
If these forecasts are realized, the rainfall is likely to support plant growth and improve soil moisture levels following a period of dryness.
On a global scale, variable rainfall in July has resulted in mixed crop production prospects. While global production conditions were generally favourable for rice and soybeans, conditions for wheat and maize were more variable.
These global conditions remain consistent with those used in the
June 2024 edition of the Agricultural Commodities Report by ABARES to forecast global grain supplies and world prices for the 2024–25 period.
Water storage levels in the Murray-Darling Basin (MDB) increased by 91 gigalitres (GL) between 08 August 2024 and 15 August 2024, bringing the current volume to 18,194 GL, or 82% of total storage capacity. This is 10% (2,709 GL) less than the storage levels recorded at the same time last year, according to data from the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM).
In the water market, allocation prices in the Victorian Murray below the Barmah Choke rose from $142 on 08 August 2024 to $146 on 15 August 2024. Prices in the Murrumbidgee remain lower due to the binding of the Murrumbidgee export limit.
