1345.4 - SA Stats, Jan 2011  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 25/01/2011   
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WATER


RAINFALL

According to the Bureau of Meteorology's Seasonal Climate Summary for South Australia, Spring 2010 was the second wettest spring on record, and below average temperatures were recorded across the state.

The above average spring rainfall was seen across a large part of South Australia due to a combination of simultaneous weather events not experienced since 1975.

Many South Australian sites experienced their highest total spring rainfall on record. The highest total rainfall for the state was recorded in Parawa (Second Valley Forest AWS), with 317.0mm.

Diagram: Rainfall

Source: 3-monthly rainfall anomalies for South Australia, Australian Bureau of Meteorology


RESERVOIR LEVELS

For the month of December 2010, the Bureau of Meteorology reported Adelaide and hills rainfall totals well above average, largely as a result of severe thunderstorm activity in early December. Monthly totals were up to five times the December average, with several rainfall records broken in metropolitan Adelaide and hills areas. As a result, reservoir storage levels held steady at 85% of capacity by the end of December. This level is higher than in December 2009 (77%), and considerably higher than in December 2008 (73%).

TOTAL RESERVOIR STORAGE, As a percentage of capacity, Adelaide
Graph: TOTAL RESERVOIR STORAGE, As a percentage of capacity, Adelaide


Source: SA Water daily reservoir levels