WIMMERA farmers are hoping some rain is on the way for the region this week after a dry start to the year.
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Parts of the region have yet to receive rain this month and the Bureau of Meteorology is predicting below-average rain in autumn.
Bureau figures show Nhill and Kellalac have not received any rain this February.
Horsham, Stawell and Hopetoun have received 0.2 millimetres while Longerenong has received 0.6mm, Beulah 0.8mm and Rupanyup 1mm.
If the trend continues, it will be the direst February on record for the region since 2011.
January was also dry with Rainbow receiving 3mm, Warracknabeal 3.3mm and Hopetoun 3.8mm.
Bureau senior forecaster Michael Efron said rain totals were well below average for February.
“January was slightly below average for the Wimmera as well,” he said.
“We still have a week of February to go, but so far the region has received about 10 to 25 millimetres less than average.”
Mr Efron said February totals varied from Edenhope with 2.4mm to Nhill with nothing.
He said while there was the chance of rain on Friday, there was a good chance most of the region would miss out.
“The southern Wimmera will most likely receive between one and five millimetres but the north will struggle to see one or two millimetres,” he said.
Rupanyup farmer and Grains Producers Australia chairman Andrew Weidemann said while the dry weather was a concern, it was better to be dry now and see rain when growers really needed it.
“Sometimes not raining at this time of the year could mean we get a good early break in March or April,” he said.
“There is some hand feeding of stock going on at the moment, but that is all part of being a farmer in drier periods.
“Hopefully this dry period means we’ll get some good rain early in the season.”
The Bureau of Meteorology’s latest climate outlook predicts the Wimmera has a 35 to 45 per cent chance of receiving average rain in autumn.
It predicts the northern part of the region, including Horsham, will receive between 25mm and 50mm in autumn.
The region’s average for autumn is between 50mm and 100mm.