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The Hunter catchment
The Hunter catchment (map) is an area of more than
2 million hectares, bordered in the north-west by the Liverpool Ranges, to the
west by the Great Dividing Range, and to the north and north-east by Mt Royal
Range and the Barrington
Tops. The catchment extends further inland than any other coastal catchment in
New South Wales. The regional population is more than 500 000 people.
The climate
The valley has a variable climate depending on elevation and proximity to the
sea. Coastal areas and the area around the Barrington Tops receive the highest
rainfall (1140 mm per year and more than 1600 mm per year, respectively), with
rainfall decreasing with distance inland. Rainfall at Muswellbrook averages 640
mm per year, with December and January the wettest months. The climate of the
upper Hunter catchment is characterised by hot summers, averaging about 30°C in
January, with periods of humid, stormy conditions; winters are cool to mild and
dry (going down to about 2°C in July). Temperature extremes tend to be highest
in the west of the catchment.
Prior to the extreme drought of 2003/2004, major droughts occurred in 1915, 1921,
1930, 1948, 1967, 1982, 1992.
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