![It's been a dry and cold start to the cropping season for many in southern regions, but winter rain patterns are slowly starting to emerge. Photo by Gregor Heard. It's been a dry and cold start to the cropping season for many in southern regions, but winter rain patterns are slowly starting to emerge. Photo by Gregor Heard.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/5Q2j7ezUfQBfUJsaqK3gfB/713057c8-9d2d-432f-9479-c63e626a10d9_rotated_270.JPG/r0_0_3024_4032_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
South-eastern Australia has shivered through a cold June thus far with a number of centres recording their lowest maximums and minimums in over 20 years, but farmers have been pleased with light rain that has accompanied the cold fronts.
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According the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES) Weekly Australian Climate, Water and Agricultural Update there were falls over the week to June 19 of 5-50mm over key agricultural regions, including South Australia, central NSW, eastern and southern WA and western parts of Victoria.
In areas that received the rain ABARES expected this rainfall would boost soil moisture levels and allow for the germination and establishment of winter crops.
According to the Bureau of Meteorology's Water and the Land forecast service most of the nation's cropping regions are set to receive between 10mm and 25mm over the next eight days, with falls critical for those in southern areas where there has been sufficient rain to germinate crops but where further falls are required to maintain plant health.
Southern Queensland and northern NSW are only expected to see between 5-10mm, however there is the possibility of useful falls into Central Queensland.
While the light rain has been welcomed by the ag sector, it has been the cold conditions that have been more noteworthy.
From Queensland down to Tasmania there have been markedly below average temperatures.
Last Tuesday Rockhampton recorded a minimum of 0, while other areas in central and western Queensland also recorded temperatures around 10 degrees colder than the average.
Victoria has seen two particularly cold days, Friday June 14 and Thursday June 20, with Horsham recording its coldest June day in 27 years with a maximum temperature of just 8.1, some 40 per cent colder than the June average, and Nhill its coldest day in 22 years with 8.3.
The cold snap extended across the border with Keith recording its coldest day in 18 years with 8.9.
There have also been some cold starts, with Westmere, in Victoria's Western District, enduring -5.7 on Wednesday June 19, colder than some elevated and Alpine areas that morning.