UPDATE, TUESDAY 8.30am: According to Weatherzone, another 21mm fell on Bega between 9am Monday and Tuesday morning to add to the 58mm to 9am Monday.
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Merimbula had even more of the wet stuff, with 56.4mm falling to 8.30am Monday, making a total of 108.2mm since Sunday morning.
Further north, the Montague Island weather station recorded 19.2mm to 8.30am Monday, topping up the rain gauges that had already recorded 35.4mm by Monday morning.
MONDAY: SUNDAY’S rains have brought relief to local farmers and eased increasingly dangerous conditions on the ground for the Rural Fire Service.
Across the Bega Valley there was an average of 60mm of rain to 9am Monday, with some pockets getting closer to 80mm.
Further up the coast in Narooma the rain started earlier on Saturday, bringing properties an additional 19mm to 9am Sunday.
There was still more rain predicted for Monday as well as scattered showers throughout the rest of the week.
Superintendent John Cullen of the Far South Coast RFS is pleased with the weekend’s rain.
“It’s certainly terrific for the Valley.
“I know a lot of landholders with stock were running quite low on water, so this is filling up creeks and dams.
“From the RFS perspective, this is really good news.
“Especially in areas with a lot of lovegrass, we were heading into very dangerous territory as the land was really bleached out from the combination of no moisture and wind.
“The situation was getting tight, but this has done two things for us.
“Firstly it’s bought us some extra time before the bushfire season to do some more controlled burns in safer conditions.
“It’s also completely dampened any recent burns and stopped the chance of it possibly reigniting on a high wind day.”
Brad Bobbin from Southern Farm Supplies in Bemboka said local farmers were very relieved by the rain fall.
“We’ve had a few in this morning and overwhelming everyone is the area is rapt,” he said.
“Kameruka probably got the least, about 58mm, but some properties out near Indian’s Head in Bemboka got 78mm.
“It’s made the farmers confident and it’s come just in time.”