C70 Agricultural Journal of Victoria. 



THE RAINFALL OF THE YEAR 1903. 



By P. Baracchi. 



Table 1. gives the rainfall registered over the State of Victoria in 

 each month, quarter, and the whole year 1903, and the amounts tabulated 

 for that year are accompanied by corresponding averages based and 

 calculated on all available records of nearly half a century, thus afford-, 

 ing easy comparison of the conditions actually experienced in any 

 one locality of the State in the year 1903, with average conditions. 



Table II., contains a summary of results for each quarter of the 

 year 1903, arranged into eight subdivisional areas, which represent 

 different characteristics in regard to rainfall distribution. 



Table III. gives for each of the above eight regions the percentage 

 above or below average of rainfall actually recorded in each quarter 

 of the year 1903. 



An examination of the tables points out the following general 

 facts :- — 



January. — In the South-western districts, between the South 

 Australian boundary and the Otway Forest, the rainfall conditions 

 did not deviate to any considerable extent from those of normal years. 

 In all other districts south of the Dividing Ranges, from the Moora- 

 bool and Barwon Basins to the Snowy River, the January rains were 

 from 30 to 65 per cent, below average, and a general deficiency of 

 from 60 to 70 per cent, occurred over the northern half of the State. 



February. — The February rains were again deficient over the 

 eastern half of the State, being below average to the extent of 20 per 

 cent, in South Gippsland, 60 per cent, in all other Gippsland districts 

 and 33 per cent, in the North-eastern districts ; but they were above 

 the average everywhere over the Western half of the State, the excess 

 being 77 per cent, in the North-western, and no less than 160 per 

 cent, in the South-western quarters. 



March. — The important rains of March were deficient only in the 

 extreme South-eastern region, east of the Tambo River. The average 

 was exceeded by 100 per cent, in South Gippsland, 74 per cent in 

 the country surrounding Port Phillip Bay and the whole of the North- 

 Eastern quarter, 60 per cent in the Western districts, and from 26 to 

 42 per cent in the remaining areas of the State. 



By the end of the summer months we find the rainfall registered 

 since the beginning of the year slightly in excess of the average for the 

 Northern half of the State, more than 50 per cent, above average for 

 the South-western quarter, and 24 per cent, above average in 

 South Gippsland ; but all other parts of the South-Eastern quarter 

 show a deficiency of from 30 to 50 per cent. 



