AFTER sweating through temperatures of more than 40 degrees, residents of the Swan Hill region can expect a proper soaking this weekend.
Heavy rainfall is expected to hit the region today, with up to 50mm of rain possible — almost twice the monthly average for January.
Downpours are also predicted for both tomorrow and Sunday, with up to 80mm of rain being forecast.
“The average rainfall for Swan Hill in January is 26mm so we are looking at a month’s average rainfall in just a couple of days, and we could see well in excess of that,” The Bureau of Meteorology’s Andrea Pace said.
Although the rain will come as welcome relief to most residents, Frank Maiuto, owner of Mumford Farms in Woorinen, said that rainfall of this magnitude was not good news for stone fruit growers.
“It will be devastating in the middle of the picking season to get that much rain,” he said.
“It’s going to damage the fruit and obviously there will be great losses.
“At pack house level it’s also going to make it difficult to pack the fruit that does come in and there will also be a lot of waste.”
For more on this story, pick up a copy of Friday’s Guardian (January 9).
