Victoria and the Wimmera has had one of its driest starts to the year on record and it has been predicted that there is no break in sight.
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The state has endured its driest first four months of the year since 1923, with towns across the Wimmera significantly receiving rain amounts significantly below that of their long term averages.
Stawell has received just 30.2 millimetres of rain since January, little more than a quarter of its long term average of 110.7 millimetres for the same time of year.
Just 15.6 millimetres has been measured at Horsham in the first four months of the year compared to the long term average of 89 millimetres. Nhill (22 millimetres) and Edenhope and Warracknabeal (23.8 millimetres each) have also experienced extremely dry starts to the year.
"Historically the benchmark for dry years has been 1923, and this has been the second driest start to a year since then," Bureau of Meteorology climatologist Simon Grainger said.
"The reason for this is because of a lot of high pressure systems over the south east of Australia and hot and dry conditions near the tropics.
"That means no cold fronts have been able to come our way - particularly out in western Victoria."
Mr Grainger said there appears to be no signs of the break in the dry conditions anytime soon.
"The outlook for the next month is it's more likely than not to be dry over much of the state," he said.
"There may be between 10 and 25 millimetres in the next month or so but the most likely scenario is rainfall well below the long term averages once again.
"Average rainfall conditions are more likely in June and July."
The lack of rain has had a detrimental impact on the region, with dry grass and paddocks as well as waterways dropping in capacity.
As of April 24, Lake Lonsdale was just nine per cent full, compared to 37 per cent the same time last year. Taylors Lake is also now at less than half capacity.
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