A look at 9 years of rainfall near Sedgefield

SEDGEFIELD NEWS - Ritchie Morris, an international award-winning hydrogeologist of Karatini Farm, Elandskraal near Sedgefield, has been recording rainfall figures on his farm in the Karatara River catchment area for the past nine years.

Last week he released the rainfall figures with some insightful comments for the period from beginning January 2016 until end of November 2024.

The last two years have seen more intense and prolonged rainfall compared to the previous seven years.

The following comments by Morris apply to the data in the table and graph below:

Accurate rainfall records exist for the period 2016 to current.
Rainfall is recorded daily or per event, so monthly detailed data exists.
The figures are month totals in mm.
The average values in the RHS column are for the 8 year period 2016 to 2023, thus don’t include the current year so that comparison can be made.
By end Nov 2024 the annual total of 791.5 mm is ~188 mm above the 8 year annual average of 612 mm.
Bold Blue values indicate monthly totals substantially above the 8 year average for that month.
Red bold are monthly values below the 8 year average for that month.
Good rain did occur in 2015, with some flooding and Barrington Road damage in September and October 2015 – not shown in this data set.
Extended drought set in from 2016, and was finally broken by the excellent 2023 rainfall. The quality of rainfall during this period was poor with many low rainfall events followed by heat and wind.
Monthly total values do not accurately reflect the quality of the rainfall. One needs to examine individual rainfall events.
2024 has seen good rainfall with the December values yet to be added.
2023 and 2024 have seen much more intense and prolonged (few days) rainfall than previous years. This leads to effective infiltration and runoff.
The Karatara River causeway has flooded several times during 2024, having to be closed.

NOTE: Dotted red line is 8 year average @ 612 mm. Year 2024 excludes December.