Some towns get heaviest rain in 7 years as cold front delivers

The rain event, an autumn break for many croppers in the south, means that the pressure on forage and also getting a crop away may be over for some of the lucky ones.

In some towns it's been phenomenal, including Griffith, still smarting from about 70mm more than a week ago, getting its best rain in a day in May in 41 years.

The good news is that another system is building for late next week that should bring more precipitation, but mainly to southern areas. And there'll be snow on the higher peaks

The current system is moving slowly north-east towards Moree and should deliver some decent totals in the north-west over the next 36 hours into late Saturday.

Weatherzone provided these statistics to The Land this morning:

In the 24 hours to 9am Friday

Heaviest in -

7 years Corowa 69mm

6 years Khancoban 68mm

3 years Thredbo 99mm

21 months Perisher 77mm

1.5 years Tumbarumba 49mm, Albury 46mm, Hume Reservoir 46mm, Tocumwal 38mm, Wagga 36mm, Bourke 28mm

5-6 months Hay 21mm,

4-5 months Kapooka 25mm, Euabalong 25mm

Heaviest May rain in -

41 years Griffith 33mm

29 years Tocumwal

24 years Tumbarumba

19 years Albury 46mm

15 years Lake Cargelligo 21mm

12 years Bourke

The rainfall map for Saturday, Sunday looks like this:

There have been amazing sights out in the far West with parts of the Darling River filling up to 2m due to the rain and also previous falls moving down from Queensland, more than 30mm at Menindee and a storm near Broken Hill making a creek run for the first time in years.

At Ivanhoe the season has turned so much that farmers after feeding for two-and-a-half years will be able to stop feeding in a couple of weeks as the pasture grows on the back of the rain. The rain is a godsend for canola crops put in hope of an autumn break, mainly on the south-west slopes. Barley, wheat and oats have been planted in many southern paddocks.

Many farmers asked for an inch - and got it. But no one is fooled the drought is over, with most of the state still declared as drought stricken. The rain though will provide a bit of respite and boost confidence in many country towns.