HOW MUCH rain fell at your place?
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
It's the question on everyone's lips when Tamworth's skies darken and drops begin to fall.
Dave Farrenden is the administrator of the iconic Tamworth Regional Weather Facebook page, and is calling for a second Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) rain gauge to be installed in the city.
The totals residents catch in their backyard rain gauges varies drastically between areas, and they're often quite different to the official Tamworth airport reading, too.
Mr Farrenden said storms are patchy by nature, but it's interesting to see the numbers.
"The airport seems to be in a rain shadow," he said.
READ ALSO:
During a four-day rain event at the end of October, Tamworth's BoM gauge notched up about 46mm of the wet stuff.
During the same four days, a Westdale resident reported more than 60mm of rain; East Tamworth locals clocked between 80 and 90mm; and Winton saw more than 100mm.
Mr Farrenden said the lone BoM weather station in Tamworth is situated too far out of town to give a clear idea about what's going on where people live.
"[The airport station] is 17km out of town, it really may as well be in another town," Mr Farrenden said.
"It wouldn't cost a lot to put a manual station in town, and I really don't know why they haven't yet; Tamworth is the biggest regional town in NSW and we've only got one station, it just doesn't make sense," he said.
During that four-day rain event at the end of October, Mr Farrenden clocked about 60mm of the wet stuff.
"I only live three kilometres from the airport and in that rain event I picked up 20mm more than the airport," Mr Farrenden said.
During an afternoon of wild weather last week, it was a similar story. The BoM weather station at Tamworth airport clocked 12mm of rain on Wednesday.
One Hillvue resident recorded close to 70mm of rain that day, and one East Tamworth resident tipped more than 35mm out of the backyard gauge.
There was reportedly about 50mm dumped on Kootingal, 30mm at Calala, and 20mm at a home in Oxley Vale.
"Storms are always going to produce different totals in different spots, but overall, when we look at the averages ... it tends to miss a lot of rain," Mr Farrenden said.
A spokesperson from the BoM told the Leader the weather station is needed at the airport to make sure the aviation industry has access to crucial and accurate information.
The spokesperson said the gauges in the wider Tamworth area - like Duri - should provide a good picture of rainfall in the region.
However, the BoM said the organisation would be "open to discussions" with council to invest in weather infrastructure to allow data to be shared with the BoM and for the "community's value".
But, Tamworth Regional Council (TRC) water and waste director Bruce Logan said he wasn't interested, when questioned.
"From my perspective, wherever it rains, is where it rains, and having a second gauge won't change where the rain falls," he said.
"We accept there's limited ways you can measure the rainfall in a particular area and one official rain site is good enough for Tamworth at the moment.
"The more important issues with the government are dealing with the security of the water supply and the number of rain gauges isn't one of those priorities I'd be looking to pursue."
Mr Farrenden said Tamworth's citizen scientists should keep up the good work with their backyard rain gauges, and report their findings.
Police and crime reporter at the Newcastle Herald.
Police and crime reporter at the Newcastle Herald.
