Rainman Streamflow
Rainman StreamFlow is a decision-support tool that helps farmers to predict rainfall at a specific location within a specified time period.
- 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
- What is the chance of a season break happening by a certain date if I receive X mm of rain within Y number of days?
- What is the chance of getting more than X mm rainfall this coming season?
What this tool does
Rainman StreamFlow is a software package that uses historical weather records to forecast seasonal rainfall and streamflow.
Weather records used are from:
- 3800 rainfall locations
- 400 streamflow gauging stations
Forecasts are based on:
- the Southern Oscillation Index
- sea surface temperatures of the Pacific and Indian Oceans
Inputs
Historical data is included with Rainman StreamFlow but can be updated as follows:
- Rainfall – you can update monthly data for all stations automatically over the internet for free.
- Stream flow – you can manually update streamflow data if you have access to data from your state water department.
- All climate data – you can subscribe to SILO and update all daily climate records.
- You can enter daily data for your own farm.
Outputs
Rainman StreamFlow displays results as tables, graphs and maps. Figures 1 and 2 are examples.
Figure 1. The chance of rain within the next 3 months at Emerald
Figure 2. Rainfall in eastern Australia over the last 12 months
Reliability
Rainman StreamFlow predicts rainfall based on historical data. As the climate changes, the outputs will reduce in value and accuracy.
It is most reliable for eastern and subtropical Australia because:
- forecasting is mainly based on the Southern Oscillation Index
- forecasting does not consider climate drivers such as the Indian Ocean Dipole and the Southern Annular Mode
History
Rainman StreamFlow was previously known as Rainman and Australian Rainman.
It was developed by Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (Queensland) under the leadership of Dr Jeff Clewett, starting in 1988. It has been continually improved since then.
Support available
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (Queensland) provides technical support, including free step-by-step tutorials.
Where to get it
Web: Rainman StreamFlow (download version coming soon)
Email: Ross Ballin, Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (Queensland), for a version on CD
Phone: 07 4688 1468
Cost
Free CD via email: Ross Ballin, Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (Queensland)