Linda and Roger's Southwater Downs – Robertson Rainforest

Rainfall

This is a page within Roger and Linda's Southwater Downs Web-Site.

Southwater Downs is an 8-acre property on the escarpment 4km east of Robertson, in southern N.S.W. 3 acres are Robertson (lilli pilli) rainforest, and subject to a Conservation Agreement.

We understand the property's long-term-average rainfall to be about 1700 mm (70 ins) p.a.

The BoM's page for weather-station data offers two nearby stations.

The Pie Shop – Station 068224, 34.59°S, 150.63°E, 735m, at the corner of the Illawarra Highway and Jamberoo Rd, 1.2km south. It's not directly on the escarpment as Southwater Downs is, and hence it's less subject to mists.

This offers patchy readings since 1985, in spreadsheet form here, plus explanatory text. It discloses:

• 1557 mm average annual rainfall (61.3 ins)
• 854-2377 mm range, and 1026-2221 mm 90%ile range
• 2000-10 were drought-years:
  • during 2001-09, the total recorded was 75% of the norm
  • 2009 had the least rain of the 13 fully recorded since 1985 (854mm – 33.6 ins)
  • Mar-Sep 2010 was even worse, at 63% of the norm – but Feb was missed, and there was very heavy 4-6 Feb, which would recover the total to perhaps 85% of the norm
• Rainfall occurs all-year-round, marginally less in March, July and December

Robertson village-centre – Station 068054, 34.58°S, 150.59° E, 756 m, cnr Illawarra Highway and Caalang St, 3km WSW. This is further back from the escarpment, but with a remnant of Yarrawa forest 400m to the south.

This provides most monthly readings since 1890 (but with a break 1895-2005), in spreadsheet form here, plus explanatory text. It discloses:

• 1672 mm average annual rainfall (65.8 ins)
• 799-3145 mm range, and 1085-2400 mm 90%ile range
• in the 2000-10 drought:
  • during 2006-09, the total recorded was only 81% of the long-term average
  • in 2009, the Nov reading is missing (and only 53% at the Pie Shop). In the other 11 months, 962mm were recorded, which is 60% of the mean – not the record low, but around the 7th decile. (The record low was in 1941, and post-WWII only 1968 and 1982 have had less than 1000 mm)
  • Jan-Sep 2010 was 86% of the long-term average
• Rainfall occurs all-year-round

This is a page within the Southwater Downs Web-Site, home-page here

Contact: Linda or Roger

Created: 16 October 2010; Last Amended: 16 October 2010