Fed: Drought conditions expected to continue into spring

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Fed: Drought conditions expected to continue into spring

MELBOURNE, Aug 14 AAP - Predictions of a dry spring are set to devastate Australia'sdrought-stricken farmers.

The National Climate Centre today predicted that the coming spring months will be drierthan average in the north-east and south-east of the country.

This is devastating news for the thousands of farmers already crippled by wideningdrought conditions around Australia.

Gerald Feeney, a grain grower at St Arnaud in Victoria's central west, says farmersare relying on spring rains.

"We need at least 50mm in August, because to date it's only been about half the averageand, unless that's backed up by more rain in September, we will struggle to recover costs,"

he said.

Farmers in the St Arnaud area have already suffered five years of below-average winterrainfall, with the last adequate fall in 1996.

The only encouragement to be drawn from the meteorological predictions is that NSWmay escape further drought in spring.

"There is only a 50/50 chance that NSW will have below-average rainfall this spring,"

Grant Beard of the National Climate Centre said.

Mr Beard said the problem was caused in part by higher-than-average sea temperaturesin the tropical Pacific Ocean.

Warmer currents in the middle of the Pacific attract rainfall from eastern Australia,leaving the eastern states short of water and subject to drought, he said.

AAP nc/gfr/was/sb

KEYWORD: DROUGHT SPRING