It was the wettest August in five years and it helped contribute to a winter of above average rainfall with a three-month total of 217.6mm.

However rainfall in Wangaratta fell short of the winter average by 31mm with 169.2mm.

Bureau of Meteorology climatologist Blair Trewin said abnormal weather patterns saw the plains of southern NSW outdo parts of north eastern Victoria.

“In a normal winter, a large proportion of winter rainfall comes from moisture in northerly/northwesterly winds ahead of approaching fronts or troughs – these types of systems give their heaviest rainfall on, and immediately north of, the ranges,” Mr Trewin said.

“So average winter rainfalls go up a fair bit as you get closer to the ranges – for example, average winter rainfall is 155mm in Wagga, 192mm in Albury, 324mm at Beechworth and 649mm at Mount Buffalo.

“In winter 2015 these systems were largely absent, and instead a lot of winter rainfall came from what we call ‘cut-off’ lows, that is, low pressure systems which are separate from the normal westerly winds and frontal passages south of Australia.

“These systems generally produce their heaviest rain under wherever their track is, which this winter was quite often over southern or central NSW.”

Culcairn agronomist Sheree Hamson said farmers were upbeat after the winter rainfall.

“Cropping farmers are much more positive and confident than they’ve been in years with the way pastures are looking and graziers have a feeling of confidence with the amount of feed that’s around,” Mrs Hamson said.

She said growers could expect four to five tonnes of wheat per hectare, compared to 3.5 to four tonnes last year based on the outlook.

Mrs Hamson said farmers in the southern Riverina had water logged paddocks and would appreciate some dry days before more rain.

“The ideal would be to get another 30mm to top up and probably get that closer to the middle of September,” she said.

“At the moment most people’s paddocks are a little too wet to get on.”