Queensland's drought-hit graziers and farmers west of the Great Dividing Range have little to smile about despite a week's spring rain east of the range.
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However, Charleville will get a rare thunderstorm on Tuesday afternoon and further rain was expected in drought-hit Darling Downs farms as the unsettled rain trough moves east.
Most of the properties west of Roma are still drought declared.
While the areas east of the Great Dividing Range have received good soaking rain since Thursday, some areas of outback Queensland received less than 30 millimetres in the past seven days.
From Chinchilla eastwards – there were some falls over 100 millimetres.
Queensland’s Bureau of Meteorology is predicting a new range of storms from Charleville on Tuesday.
Darling Downs falls in the past seven days (to Monday 9am)
- Roma - 53 millimetres.
- Mitchell - 18 millimetres.
- Charleville - 55 millimetres or less.
- Miles – 50 millimetres.
- Ballen, north east of Miles – 89 millimetres.
- Seven Oaks, near Chinchilla – 116 millimetres.
- Beruna, near Chinchilla – 133 millimetres.
- Dalby – 100 millimetres.
- Surat – 38 millimetres.
Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Michelle Berry said the week’s rain was not heavy enough west of the Great Dividing Range to break the drought.
However Charleville was predicted to receive a thunderstorm on Tuesday afternoon, she said.
“As we go into Tuesday and Wednesday we will see a trough moving east over the interior, “ Ms Berry said.
“Areas like Charleville are likely to get a storm (on Tuesday) and that will go further east in towards Roma, Miles, Chinchilla towards Wednesday.
“That could generate a bit of rain for them, though storm activity can be a bit hit and miss, so perhaps not every zone will pick up some rainfall.
“But there is certainly storms to roll through Wednesday and Thursday."
Queensland's drought declarations have not changed since the week-long spring rain.
The Western Downs council area (near Dalby ) is 35.6 per cent drought declared.
Further west, the Maranoa (Roma and Mitchell) and Murweh (Charleville) council areas are still fully drought-declared.
By late September 2018 more than 58 per cent of Queensland was drought-declared.
The Department of Agriculture says the spring rain would allow the summer sorghum crop to be planted, but was not enough to break the drought west of the Great Divide.
"The rainfall was largely confined to the eastern third of the state with little to no falls recorded west of a line between Hughenden, Tambo and St George," a spokesman said.
"There were some useful falls were recorded east of a line between St George, Roma and Emerald
"The severe storms of last week were relatively patchy and damage occurred on farm from Chinchilla to Bundaberg."
The storms on the eastern side of the Great Divide have caused around $2 million worth of damage to stone fruit crops around Kingaroy.
"It appears producers around Kingaroy experienced the most severe impacts," the spokesman said.
"Most agricultural industries from grazing to horticulture experienced some impacts, including damage to farm equipment, sheds and netting.
"Stone fruit crops that were about to be harvested were significantly damaged with up to $2 million worth of crops lost."
Wheat crops were stripped in some places and beef and dairy farmers experienced damage to farm sheds and farm infrastructure.
"Paddocks of pasture for cattle feed have been heavily damaged," the spokesman said.
Producers impacted by the storms can apply for an individually Disaster Stricken Property declaration.
That gives producers access to concessional loans from Queensland Rural and Industry Development Authority and to freight subsidy assistance from Department of Agriculture and Fisheries.
