Another wet weekend has helped refill Tamworth's spirits as last year's severe drought conditions slowly ease, according to the Department of Primary Industries.
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But little of the 50mm of rain that has fallen so far in April has made it to the city's dams. Three of the region's four dams remain well below normal levels despite a wet 2020.
Water NSW figures showed Keepit dam was 13.2 per cent full on Sunday, with Chaffey Dam 14.1 per cent full and Split Rock 4.4 per cent full. Inverell's Copeton dam was at 12.1 per cent.
Tamworth will stay on Level 5 water restrictions until Chaffey is 25 per cent full.
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Tamworth received 20.6 mm of rain on Saturday April 11, nearly its monthly average in one day.
It adds to an already-solid year of rain. The Bureau of Meteorology has recorded 431.2 mm of rain at the Tamworth airport station so far in 2020. More rain has fallen in less than four months this year than 12 months last year.
And the worst drought in the region's history is easing, according to the Department of Primary Industry.
Much of the North West and Northern Tablelands regions were classed as in "intense drought" or "drought" as late as last month according to the DPI Combined Drought Indicator.
But the vast majority of the Northern Tablelands is now classed at the lower level of "drought affected", with just 1.2 per cent of the North West class as in "intense" and 10.3 per cent in "drought".
There is still a long way to go until the "recovery" phase, with no part of the North West, which includes Tamworth, classed as recovering.
DPI uses three indicators - rainfall, soil water and plant growth - to judge the severity of drought across NSW.
A Water NSW map shows the water level in Keepit Dam had been rising over the past day, while the level at Chaffey dam was stable.
Nearly the entire region has recorded solid rainfall.
Gunnedah recorded 14mm at the town airport on Saturday. Armidale received 21.4mm the same day, with Inverell receiving 21.2mm.
Glen Innes received 26.8mm and Narrabri received 26.4mm.
Dungowan Dam, which is managed by Tamworth Regional Council as a backup for Chaffey Dam, had reached 50 per cent full last week, allowing for a reduction in water restrictions in Nundle, Barraba and Manilla. Updated figures were not available on Sunday.