The sun is shining its rays over damp paddocks but it's likely to be short lived.
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The Bureau of Meteorology has revealed there is about a 70 per cent chance of another La Nina season forming in spring and the NSW State Emergency Service (SES) has warned the community to be ready for more flooding.
As Oakhampton farmer Austin Breiner harvested vegetables and citrus ready for the Slow Food Earth Market Maitland in The Levee tomorrow, he remained optimistic about the next few months.
He has been following the La Nina phenomenon all year and said while the BOM had said it was over earlier this year, American weather forecasts predicted it would hang around.
Mr Breiner has a wide range of seedlings ready to plant and is hoping a dry spell, combined with westerly wind, will dry out his farm as much as possible before the wet season begins.
"If that happens the ground will be able to take a bit of moisture, but if it's like before where everything was already saturated, it won't be able to," he said.
"I'm feeling optimistic, you have to be, there's no other way to be."
The BOM said there was still a chance that it would not occur. The prediction comes as there is cooling in the tropical Pacific Ocean and a negative Indian Ocean Dipole.
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If it does eventuate, it would bring above average rainfall for eastern Australia over spring and summer.
It would become the third consecutive La Nina season - something Mr Breiner said would put it on track with the 1950s, the wettest decade on record.
"It's very unusual to have three wet seasons in a row, but we can't do anything about it so we will just have to take it as it comes," he said.
NSW SES Commissioner Carlene York urged residents to know their flood risk and create a flood plan.
"With wet soils, high rivers, full dams and the outlook for above average rainfall, there remains an elevated risk of flooding," Commissioner York said.
"Simple things like preparing an emergency evacuation kit can be incredibly useful and help you in the event you need to evacuate your home."
Mr Breiner was hopeful his seedlings would become established before the wet weather hit.
"It will be warmer then and the amount of evaporation will increase, which will help to dry the ground out as well," he said.
"I just hope we don't get any more bad erosion with the rain, like we did last time."In the news:
Belinda-Jane Davis
Passionate about community news
Passionate about community news
