Glen Innes has received its best rainfall in six months, recording 20mm of rain at the airport over the weekend.
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And the Bureau of Meteorology has issued a warning to be prepared for what they say will be an "increase risk of heatwaves and bushfires in the coming months".
Fires remain burning around the New England, and the weekend's rainfall will not be enough to break the drought, but it's the first double-digit rainfall since March.
Glen Innes received its best rain of 2019 on March 9, with 45mm falling that Saturday. The town has received less than half its average rainfall this year for the second year in a row.
The weather map shows small chance of rain for the rest of the week.
And the BoM says not to expect much change over summer, with the Bureau's head of long-range forecasts Dr Andrew Watkins saying climate change has increased the likelihood of seeing more bushfire activity than normal.
"The Bureau outlook shows we're likely to see more warmer and drier than average conditions for the coming months. This is due largely to a record strong positive Indian Ocean Dipole, that leads to drier air than usual over northwest Australia that supplies much of Australia's rainfall," he said.
"The increased odds of warmer than average days, coupled with a very dry landscape and a likely late start to the northern wet season, give a clear indication that we're likely to see more heatwaves than normal.
"It also adds to the potential bushfire risk, particularly when you consider how dry many parts of southern and eastern Australia are at the moment."
Glen Innes averages 858mm of rain a year. In 2019 the town has received just 265.4mm to date.
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