LAST week it was dust storms across NSW, this week it was a deluge in South Australia. Heavy rain has bolstered the prospects of the state's winter grain crop as farmers prepare for harvest.
More than 15 millimetres fell across South Australia and parts of Victoria, and some areas received as much as 50 millimetres, the Bureau of Meteorology said. But rain has been scarce across the south of Queensland and NSW.
Rabobank senior analyst Wayne Gordon told The Australian Financial Review: "I was only down in South Australia two days ago and you drive down there and you wouldn't even know there were these dry conditions, it it looks absolutely wonderful.
"At this stage the same time last year there was very little rainfall to be had and consequently crops finished off very quickly and yields were lower as a result, but this year there's been a much better finish to the season."
The downpour has also led the South Australian government to increase water allocations by 9 per cent, offering South Australian irrigators on the Murray River some relief from the drought.
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