LOCAL catchments and tributaries are benefiting from the district's wettest two-thirds of a year in 36 years.

The highest winter falls in 14 years was boosted by the highest August tally in 25 years.

The Bureau of Meteorology recorded 152.9 millimetres of rain at the Kerang weather station during winter, which is 45 millimetres above average.

The flood year of 1974 was the middle of three successive flood years.

The seasonal figure was boosted by 85 millimetres of rainfall during August - the wettest eighth month of the year since 1985.

The last time the district received significantly above-average winter rainfall was in 1996, when Kerang recorded 167 millimetres.

Rainfall was recorded on 32 occasions during the 92 days of winter, which is just above the long-term average of 28 days but below last year's total of 42 days.

The district's wet winter pushed the annual rainfall total to 399.7 millimetres - which is just above the annual total of 372.4 millimetres.

The last time the district received 400 millimetres between January and August was in 1974, with records confirming the town recorded 479 millimetres.

The past three months have also been the coldest since 1996, with the average minimum and maximum temperatures being 4.2 and 14.4 degrees respectively.

These figures are more than half a degree cooler than the long term winter temperatures of 4.5 and 14.9 degrees.