General News
4 June, 2026
Steady rain falls over the region
FARMERS breathed a sigh of relief when the Autumn break arrived during the final month of the season, with both the Terang and Mortlake townships experiencing rain above the long-term average.
Gauges across Terang reached 74.8mm throughout May, coming in just 0.8mm above the long-term average.
The result was largely due to two bouts of heavy rain, with 17.8mm falling on May 17 while the highest daily rainfall of the month occurred on May 5, with 18.2mm falling over a 24-hour period.
The May result marks the first month this year in which the long-term average result for Terang has been reached.
The 74.8mm of rain hitting the ground was in stark contrast to May 2025 when just 24.2mm of rain hit the ground, with a highest daily result of 6.4mm.
While Autumn was drier than average, it did bring reprieve to farmers around awaiting clouds overhead with 163.4mm of rain falling between March and May, below the long-term average result of 184.4mm but far higher than the 59.2mm experienced over the same period last year.
The result brings the total for 2026 through the first five months of the year to 186.4mm, below the long-term expected average of 260.5mm over the same period.
Meanwhile in Mortlake, the May result was well above the long-term average of 55.4mm, with 62.6mm of rain falling throughout the month.
The highest daily result occurred on May 17 with a thumping 21.2mm falling over a 24-hour period.
Mortlake enjoyed consistent rains with just seven days throughout the month seeing no rain, albeit with a further 14 days seeing less than one millimetre.
May marked the third month this year Mortlake has experienced rain above the long-term monthly average, with February and March also crossing the threshold.
The result was well above the tally from the previous year, with just 20.6mm having hit the ground in May 2025 with a highest daily result of 7.4mm.
Autumn has been consistent with the long-term average for Mortlake, with 135.8mm falling over the town – slightly above the long-term average of 130mm over the same period.
The result brings the total rainfall experienced over Mortlake through the first five months of the year to 170.6mm, almost identical to the 170.8mm long-term average over the same period.