This time last year, the region – including Parkes – was pulling on their gumboots and raincoats, dodging puddles, closing roads under water and, in some areas, filling sandbags to prepare for major flooding.
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This year – for Parkes in particular – it’s gone to the other extreme.
For the month of June, Parkes had no rain for 29 days.
The only day it did rain was on June 1, with the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) recording just 0.4mm.
It’s the lowest rainfall figure on record for June since the BOM began recording at the Parkes Airport weather station in 1942.
Parkes has also come in as the driest town for June compared to neighbouring towns.
Grenfell’s and Forbes’ June rainfalls were second lowest at 2.2mm, Young at 2.6mm, Bathurst 3.6mm and Orange 4mm.
Compare this year’s figures to last year.
The BOM recorded 20 days of rain, totalling 111.6mm in Parkes for the month of June 2016.
Last year Forbes recorded 117.4mm of rain in June.
Peak Hill was also very dry in June this year, with its total coming to 2.3mm.
It’s not the lowest on record – which is 0mm in June 1984 – but it is the driest June in Peak Hill since 1984.
The town experienced just six days of rain and 24 days of no rain.
Peak Hill’s figures did a complete switch compared to last year.
The BOM recorded Peak Hill experienced 138mm of rain in June 2016, with 24 days of rain and six days of no rain.
So far for July, Parkes has had 3mm of rain (as of 2.30pm Monday) and Peak Hill 0.4mm.
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