MILDURA'S 24 millimetres of summer rainfall was in the driest 10 per cent of the historical range, a senior climatologist has said, adding precipitation in the region is highly variable.

Total rainfall at Mildura Airport's observation unit was just 24.4mm for the three months December to February, down nearly two-thirds from the 67.7mm long-term average.

Bureau of Meteorology senior climatologis...