Online climate tools benefit farmers

Two new tools released as part of a Bureau of Meteorology project will make it possible for farmers to find out more about rainfall and climate.

The first tool shows a range of rainfall scenarios for most rainfall recording stations in Australia. Farmers can also use a new online product to find out what factors are influencing the climate in their region by clicking on an interactive map.

These products are the first in a series of new climate products being developed by the bureau and the Managing Climate Variability program in response to a study on farmers’ seasonal forecasting needs. They aim to make seasonal forecasts more reliable, more useful and more accessible to farmers.

The Rainfall Ranges product uses graphs to compare the current rainfall with historical values for every bureau weather station that has at least 20 years of records. It also shows a range of potential rainfall scenarios based on past climate information recorded at each site.

“It is important to note that the scenarios are not forecasts; rather they provide a range of rainfall potential based on historical data. Farmers can see, at a glance, what rainfall occurred in the past for a specific location,” said Dr Andrew Watkins, senior climatologist from the Bureau’s National Climate Centre.

“This graph will be especially useful to farmers during autumn when seasonal forecast models offer less guidance.”

Managing Climate Variability and the bureau are also responding to the farmers’ requests for increased understanding of what drives regional climate. For the first time, the ‘Australian Climate Influences’ web page brings together simple information on all the things that drive our climate including El Niño, La Niña and the Indian Ocean dipole.

Farmers can see what influences their part of the world by simply clicking on the map or the menu and looking up detailed descriptions.

“The descriptions will include a where-and-when for each driver so farmers know what to look for when they hear a climate outlook or see a weather map or satellite image,” said Watkins.

“We’ve also included past examples of each climate influence upon Australia, and added related bureau web pages for finding real time forecast information.”

Both products are available on the Bureau’s Water and the Land website.