Tamworth weather 2021: highest rainfall total since 2010 recorded as dams remain full

A whopping 930.2mm of rain fell in the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) airport gauge across the year, smashing the yearly average and marking the most in 12 months since 2010.

It adds up to more than triple the amount of rain that fell in 2019 and beat last year by almost 40mm.

Dams are full, rivers are gurgling and the landscape is green and flourishing, bringing security to farmers and irrigators after years of uncertainty during the worst drought on record.

Tamworth dairy farmer Wes Brown told the Leader he is used to adapting to tumultuous weather and has to "take the good with the bad".

When the heavens opened on his oats right before harvest, his hay sadly lost its quality and became silage for his cows.

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Landholders in the region were in a similar boat, with November bringing a deluge where it "just kept raining and raining and raining", and also floods.

But, when the clouds came over and dumped all that wet stuff on his fresh crop of corn, planted in a perfect weather window, it was a silver lining for Mr Brown.

"We got the corn in and it's six foot high now," he said.

"Years before we wouldn't even plant corn because you couldn't water it."

The crop will help feed his dairy cows.

Mr Brown said the feeling among Peel Valley irrigators for the new year was "hopeful" and having dams shored up with water had brought a sense of security for now.

December brought a drop more than 70mm to Tamworth, though the city's only weather station is renowned for capturing slightly less than some backyard gauges in other parts of town.

Chaffey Dam hit capacity around mid-year and has stayed lapping at its edges since, after starting 2021 at 41 per cent.

BOM records show the head of the Peel River near Nundle notched up 1371.8mm of rain in 2021.

Tamworth had three floods during the 12 months. Gunnedah was ravaged by major flooding late in the year, after Moree earlier in the year.

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