HowOften?
HowOften? is a program that allows you to review long-term rainfall records to see how often rainfall events have occurred in past seasons.
- Who this tool is for
- Questions this tool answers
- What this tool does
- Inputs
- Outputs
- Reliability
- History
- Support available
- Where to get it
- Cost
Read about our selection process for including tools on Climate Kelpie
Who this tool is for
Farmers throughout Australia.
Questions this tool answers
- How often has there been planting rain in previous years, what were the durations of wet periods and how much runoff was there?
- How often did it rain X mm in Y days between Date 1 and Date 2?
What this tool does
HowOften? helps you determine the chances of rainfall occurring by using historical data to show you how often and how much rainfall has occurred in the past.
It can tell you:
- how often planting opportunities have occurred in your district
- how seasonal rainfall has fluctuated relative to the Southern Oscillation Index
Inputs
HowOften? uses long-term rainfall data from SILO.
Rainfall data for some locations are packaged with the program, others are available by request.
You can also enter your own rainfall data.
Outputs
HowOften? produces simple rainfall calendars and graphs. See Figure 1 for an example.
Reliability
HowOften? is based on historical data from SILO and uses the APSIM simulation model.
As climate change starts to affect our weather patterns, the relevance of past data will decrease.
History
HowOften? was developed by Agricultural Production Systems Research Unit.
Support available
Technical support and additional rainfall data are provided by the Queensland Government. For details, refer to the HowOften? manual available on the website.
Where to get it
Visit the HowOften? website to download the software and manual.
Cost
Free