The Dundee area is currently experiencing one of the driest spells in around 70 years. Foy Vermaak, who farms on the Helpmekaar road, has rainfall records dating back to 1932.
“Our average is 750mm for both annual and/or seasonable. This year is unique in the sense that the bit of rain we have had has been in small amounts on a parched earth. Most of it evaporated before it became beneficial to the plants or underground water.
“Some farms have had heavy down pours which ran down to the sea. The driest year was 1945 which had a seasonal rainfall of 324.7mm.(July-June) and an annual rainfall of 453,9mm,” said Foy.
“This year we have had from March to date Feb 454mm (11 months) of which one month December with 171.5mm. Four months returned a zero reading and one month just 2 mm.”
Sixty-eight mm fell in November and 71mm in January.
“Coupled to this are excessively hot temperatures that makes the effect worse. Not being a statistician my opinion is that it is definitely the driest 11 months in succession. What is worrying me is that a dry spell like this is usually followed by a flood and I am a firm believer in the Law of Averages.”