Weekly update - 1 June 2017

During the week ending 31 May 2017 little to no rainfall was recorded across most of mainland Australia. In southern Australia a series of cold fronts and an associated low pressure system in the Southern Ocean produced rainfall in southern Victoria, parts of eastern South Australia and most of Tasmania, with weekly rainfall totals exceeding 15 millimetres. Similar totals were recorded in north-eastern New South Wales. The highest recorded weekly total was 120 millimetres at Mount Read in western Tasmania.

The rainfall analyses and associated maps utilise data contained in the Bureau of Meteorology climate database, the Australian Data Archive for Meteorology (ADAM). The analyses are initially produced automatically from real-time data with limited quality control. They are intended to provide a general overview of rainfall across Australia as quickly as possible after the observations are received.

Rainfall - week ending 31 May 2017

©Commonwealth of Australia 2017, Australian Bureau of Meteorology - Issued: 31/05/2017

During the week ending 30 May 2017 maximum temperatures were generally average across much of the country. Isolated parts of south-eastern New South Wales and north-eastern Victoria recorded maximum temperatures between 2°C and 4°C below average. Minimum temperatures were below average to average for most of Australia, with parts of central and northern Western Australia recording minimum temperatures between 4°C and 6°C below average for this time of year.

Maximum temperature anomalies - week ending 30 May 2017

©Commonwealth of Australia 2017, Australian Bureau of Meteorology - Issued: 30/05/2017

Minimum temperature anomalies - week ending 30 May 2017

©Commonwealth of Australia 2017, Australian Bureau of Meteorology - Issued: 30/05/2017

Note: Spatial temperature analyses are based on historical weekly temperature data provided by the Bureau of Meteorology. These temperature anomaly maps show the departure of the maximum and minimum temperatures from their long-term averages. Temperature anomalies are calculated using high-resolution gridded datasets from 1911 onwards. For further information go to Daily maximum temperature for Australia.

Rainfall for May 2017 was generally close to average across most of the country, with the exception of extremely high rainfall in parts of northern Queensland and below average rainfall in Western Australia. Isolated areas of extremely low rainfall were recorded in isolated parts of all states and territories except Tasmania. In cropping regions, May rainfall was close to average with parts of South Australia and most of Western Australia the exception, where rainfall was well below average to extremely low.

Rainfall percentiles for May 2017

Source: Bureau of Meteorology

Note: Spatial rainfall percentile analyses are based on historical monthly rainfall data provided by the Bureau of Meteorology. These rainfall percentile maps show how rainfall recorded during that given time period compared with the rainfall recorded for that same period during the entire historical record (1900 to present). Rainfall percentiles are a way of providing an indication of the spread of data in a data set. To calculate percentiles, the entire rainfall record at a certain point is divided into one hundred equal parts. The 5th percentile for May 2017 means that only five per cent of all Mays in the historical record have recorded a rainfall total that is at or below the rainfall recorded during May 2017. Dark blue areas on the maps are those areas that were wetter than the same time of year during the entire historical record, and dark red areas are drier. For further information, go to Australian Water Availability Project

Rainfall for autumn 2017 (1 March to 31 May) was above average to extremely high in eastern Queensland, eastern New South Wales, western Victoria, central South Australia and central Western Australia. It was also above average across the Top End of the Northern Territory. In contrast, it was below average across much of western Western Australia, southern South Australia, western Tasmania and central parts of Queensland and the Northern Territory.

In cropping regions, autumn rainfall was average to above average in New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria, variable in South Australia and below average in Western Australia.

Rainfall percentiles for autumn 2017 (1 March to 31 March)

Source: Bureau of Meteorology

Note: Spatial rainfall percentile analyses are based on historical monthly rainfall data provided by the Bureau of Meteorology. These rainfall percentile maps show how rainfall recorded during that given time period compared with the rainfall recorded for that same period during the entire historical record (1900 to present). Rainfall percentiles are a way of providing an indication of the spread of data in a data set. To calculate percentiles, the entire rainfall record at a certain point is divided into one hundred equal parts. The 5th percentile for autumn 2017 means that only five per cent of all autumns in the historical record have recorded a rainfall total that is at or below the rainfall recorded during autumn 2017. Dark blue areas on the maps are those areas that were wetter than the same time of year during the entire historical record, and dark red areas are drier. For further information, go to Australian Water Availability Project

The forecast for the next eight days indicates that little to no rainfall is expected across most of mainland Australia. A low pressure trough may bring showers to Tasmania and parts of eastern South Australia, Victoria and southern New South Wales.

This rainfall forecast is produced from computer models. As it contains no input from weather forecasters, it is important to check local forecasts and warnings issued by the Bureau of Meteorology.

Total forecast rainfall (mm) for the period 1 to 8 June 2017

©Commonwealth of Australia 2017, Australian Bureau of Meteorology - Issued: 1/06/2017

Water storage levels in the Murray–Darling Basin (MDB) increased during the week ending 1 June 2017 by 70 gigalitres (GL) to 15,351 GL and are at 68 per cent of total capacity. This is 36 percentage points or 8,165 GL more than at the same time last year.

Water storages in the Murray-Darling Basin (NSW, Victoria and Queensland)

Information on irrigation water available in the Murray–Darling Basin from 1 January 2001 to 1 June 2017 is shown above. The top horizontal (short dash) line indicates the storage level during a similar time last year. The bottom horizontal (long dash) line indicates the amount of ‘dead’ or unusable storage.

Changes in regional water storage for May 2017 and the previous 12 months are summarised in the table and graph below (current at 1 June 2017).

Water storages in the Murray-Darling Basin by state (NSW, Victoria and Queensland)

Allocation prices in the southern Murray-Darling Basin remained low in the week up to 1 June 2017 in most systems. Average prices across the whole southern system fell to $16.49. This is a decrease of $3.19 or 16 per cent from the same time last week. This contrasts with an average price of $22.74 in May across the whole southern MDB.

Allocation trade activity in the southern Murray-Darling Basin

The trades shown reflect market activity and do not encompass all register trades. The price line reflects locally fitted price values for the entire southern Murray-Darling Basin. Data shown is current until Thursday 1 June, 2017.

Goat prices

The Eastern States goat indicator price has reached a new high in May, averaging 657 cents a kilogram. This is a 7 per cent price increase on January 2017 and a 20 per cent increase on May last year. This reflects strong demand in Australian’s largest goat meat export market, the United States. Between July 2016 and April 2017 goat meat exports to the United States were 940 tonnes higher than for the same period in 2015–16.

Indonesian beef prices

Retail beef prices in Indonesia have averaged around 114,452 Rupiah a kilogram in the 11 months leading up to Ramadan in 2016–17, 4 per cent higher than the same period of 2015–16. In the first week of Ramadan 2016–17, Indonesian beef prices increased to an average of 116,224 cents a kilogram. This is less than 1 per cent above the 115,283 Rupiah a kilogram averaged during Ramadan in 2015–16.

Sugar prices

Source: Indonesian Ministry of Trade – national price table

Indicator	Week ended	Unit	Latest price	Price week prior	Weekly change	Price 12 months prior	Year on year change	Chart
Selected world indicator prices
Australian Dollar – AUD/USD Exchange Rate	31-May	US$/A$	0.74	0.75	-1%	0.72	3%	chart
Wheat – US no. 2 hard red winter wheat, fob Gulf	30-May	US$/t	202	200	1%	197	3%	chart
Coarse Grains – US no. 2 yellow corn, fob Gulf	31-May	US$/t	159	160	<1%	174	-9%	chart
Canola – Rapeseed, Europe, fob Hamburg	30-May	US$/t	424	431	-2%	420	<1%	chart
Cotton – Cotlook 'A' Index	31-May	USc/lb	87.2	88.5	-1%	72.5	20%	chart
Sugar – Intercontinental Exchange, nearby futures, no.11 contract	31-May	USc/lb	15.2	16.1	-6%	17.5	-13%	chart
Wool – Eastern Market Indicator	25-May	Ac/kg clean	1,495	1,522	-2%	1,297	15%	chart
Wool – Western Market Indicator	26-May	Ac/kg clean	1,520	1,535	<1%	1,375	11%	chart
Selected domestic crop indicator prices
Milling Wheat – ASW1, track quote, Port Adelaide, SA	30-May	A$/t	198	194	2%	256	-23%	chart
Feed Wheat – General purpose, Sydney, NSW	31-May	A$/t	235	235	0%	265	-11%	chart
Feed Barley – Sydney, NSW	25-May	A$/t	214	211	1%	229	-7%	chart
Canola – Portland, Vic.	29-May	A$/t	510	520	-2%	550	-7%	chart
Grain Sorghum – Sydney, NSW	31-May	A$/t	272	270	<1%	253	8%	chart
Selected domestic livestock indicator prices
Beef – Eastern Young Cattle Indicator	25-May	Ac/kg cwt	652	652	<1%	570	14%	chart
Mutton – Mutton indicator (18-24 kg fat score 2-3), Vic	26-May	Ac/kg cwt	550	530	1%	361	52%	chart
Lamb – Eastern States Trade Lamb Indicator	25-May	Ac/kg cwt	663	641	2%	586	13%	chart
Pig – Eastern Seaboard (60.1-75 kg), average of buyers & sellers	19-May	Ac/kg cwt	297	300	-2%	385	-23%	chart
Goat – Eastern States (12.1-16 kg)	29-May	Ac/kg cwt	656	656	0%	550	19%	chart
Live cattle – Light steers ex Darwin to Indonesia	20-May	Ac/kg lwt	320	330	0%	280	14%	chart
Live sheep – Live wether (Muchea WA saleyard) to Middle East	22-May	$/head	116	110	-7%	108	na	chart
Global Dairy Trade weighted average pricesa
Dairy – Whole milk powder	16-May	US$/t	3,312	3,233	2%	2,252	47%	chart
Dairy – Skim milk powder	16-May	US$/t	1,998	1,982	<1%	1,658	21%	chart
Dairy – Cheddar cheese	16-May	US$/t	3,726	3,666	2%	2,693	38%	chart
Dairy – Anhydrous milk fat	16-May	US$/t	6,631	6,185	7%	3,340	99%	chart

^a Global Dairy Trade prices are updated twice monthly on the first and third Tuesday of each month.

Movements in selected fruit and vegetable prices
Data attribution