Rain fell in drought-stricken Merriwa and Cassilis

Merriwa has been inundated with rain thanks to storms late last week and over the weekend.

And it couldn’t have come at a better time. Farmers are still hand feeding because of a lack of feed in the paddocks and many have been running low on water.

The town had 86 millimetres last week, according to the Bureau of Meterology, and now once barren dams are brimming with water.

The deluge in Merriwa’s main street even caused flash flooding that affected businesses including the hardware store.

The town’s main sporting field was also left under water – a sight not seen for a very long time.

Nearby drought-stricken Cassilis also benefited from over 100mm of rain. There was so much rain that the town’s river even started flowing again. 

Storms across Maitland over the weekend also brought relief to farmers hoping for more pasture growth before the heat of summer returns. 

The deluge left Aberglasslyn Road at Rutherford temporarily flooded on Saturday afternoon.

Maitland Vale RFS sent the word out on Facebook to tell motorists to avoid the area. 

Maitland recorded 89 millimetres of rain last week while Paterson had 47 and Tocal had 57.

Rain is expected to return to the city on Wednesday, with more predicted for Saturday and Sunday.