Heavy storm’s name is mud

Local controller Kim Stevens said staff had attended seven callouts by midday, three for leaking roofs and four for fallen trees.

“Most of the problems have been due to heavy rain, we’ve had damaged tiles and things like that,” he said.

“The calls didn’t start until about quarter past six this morning and, since then, they’ve kept us busy.”

Early yesterday, crews removed two fallen trees, one in Mullion Creek, the other on Anson Street near Anson Street School.

Bureau of Meteorology data recorded 40.8 millimetres of rain for Orange on Wednesday and wind gusts of 67 km/h overnight on Tuesday.

The storm also caused widespread power outages across western NSW, including in Orange and Blayney.

Power had been restored to most houses by around 3am yesterday.

Wild and woolly weather fatal in lambing season

By ELLEN JONES

The wet and windy conditions have come at a critical time for local farmers, with lambing under way across the district.

The potentially fatal conditions have already claimed some lambs, said Emu Swamp farmer John Blunt.

“It’s not too good. We’re lambing at the moment. That driving rain and wind knocks the newborns around a bit. We’ve lost a few but we’ve got a lot of shelter belts in. Luckily there weren’t many born [on Tuesday] night,” he said.

Last week’s freezing temperatures as low as minus five did not pose the same problem.

“They can take a minus six frost but they can’t take the wind and rain,” he said.

Many farmers prefer winter as the time for lambing because that is when pastures best match the energy needs of ewes.

Industry and Investment NSW sheep and wool livestock officer Jane Kelly said while there was debate about the best time to lamb, wet and cold weather was a problem at any time of the year.

“It can be a real problem in the first seven days of life. They don’t have a lot of body reserves. A lot of lambs die in that time due to exposure or cold weather,” she said.

Ms Kelly said trying to keep ewes in a paddock with shelter such as logs, rocks and shrubs would make a difference.

“Paddock selection is an important thing,” she said.

The Bureau of Meteorology issued another sheep graziers’ warning for the central tablelands yesterday afternoon.