Wet! Wet! Wet! May 2025 weather report from Paul Rosser

Autumn is over for non-aboriginal folks. For our Brothers of the Kaurna Nation autumn goes for another four weeks or so.

The first two months of autumn saw a continuing of the drought conditions that have plagued us since August of 2024 but the season turned in May 2025.

In May we had 49.0mm of showers & rain, the bulk of which came in two bursts of 22.0 & 17.0mms of steady rain, soaking rain. Our Year to Date (YTD) figure went from 19.0mm at the end of April to 49.0mm at the end of May. Our season has definitely ‘broken’.

In the first two weeks of April the Farmer at the top of Bowering Hill dry seeded his crop of barley & beans. On the 16th of the month, we got 22.0mm of good soaking rain, resulting in a new tinge of green & hopefully a good crop in October. Good follow-up rain occurred on the 27th of the month, with a further 17.0mm.

How does this compare with other years:

2025 40.0mm 68.0mm

2024 15.0mm 58.0mm

2023 47.5mm 171.5mm

2022 83.5mm 157.0mm

2021 38.5mm 120.0mm

2020 70.5mm 180.5mm

2019 101.5mm 118.0mm

2018 60.5mm 87.5mm

2017 23.5mm 170.0mm

2016 56.0mm 161.0mm

2015 69.5mm 195.0mm

2014 74.0mm. 182.0mm

2013 62.0mm 129.0mm

2012 35.0mm 177.0mm

The next four months will be critical in terms of our YTD total.

Some good indicators are coming into play as I type up this report. The waters off South Africa have cooled considerably in the last three weeks & this is now being felt around the Esperance area of Western Australia. The Indian Ocean Dipole has started to float down towards average which in the past has meant wetter winters for South Australia. It would be great if this trend continues into winter. At this stage the number of low fronts has increased as the highs move north & are less frequent. This is indicative of wetter weather in SA.

If you want to install a native garden at your place or add to one you have, now is the best time to plant. The State Flora Nursery at Belair & the Native Nursery at Coromandel Valley are two excellent spots to go browsing in. The important things to remember for our Village & area are:

300mm of rainfall is vital for plant survival,
Limestone tolerant is worth looking for, &
Look for plants that grow well in our area.

I worry about people who buy Western Australian, New South Wales & Queensland plants. They don’t grow well in our climate & soils & generally die when conditions get harsh. So please be careful with what you buy & save yourself money in the long term.

When planting some things to remember are:

Dig a hole three times wider than your tube or pot
Dig down at least double the depth of your tube or pot
Put some compost in the bottom of the hole & mix it with the soil taken from the hole
Plant the shrub or tree in a slight well to ensure water doesn’t run away when it rains or you are watering later in the season
Give the plant at least five litres of water & up to ten litres if no rain is forecast
Put a small handful of ‘native’ pellatised fertiliser & rough-cut mulch around the base of the plant (We use Neutrog Bush Tucker fertiliser as it is low in Phospherous. High Phospherous retards & kills natives)
Put a guard on the with two stakes, plastic mesh guards are best as they allow rain, sun & air the get in to provide a healthy environment, &
Water regularly as we go into summer for the first 12 months to ensure long-term success.

That’s it for May. Catch you next month.