North West Local Land Services

On-ground conditions are variable the region, with below average rainfall resulting in a decline in conditions in the east.

• A further expansion into the Drought Affected category during December for areas east of Manilla and Tamworth. This has been driven by low Rainfall Index values.
• Some locations are monitoring feed and water supplies due to warmer temperatures throughout much of December.
• Continue rainfall is needed to ensure further regions do not transition into the Drought Affected category.
• The drought forecast suggests that the majority of the region will be in the Non-Drought category by the end of March 2025.

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Normalised Difference Vegetation Index

Plant greenness levels remain variable across the region for the October to December period; anomalies remain below average for parts of the region.

Note that some of the extremely negative NDVI areas (brown patches) are water bodies.

The NDVI anomaly is a useful measure of vegetation density and plant health. It estimates the amount of green vegetation there is in the landscape compared to what is expected at the given time of year, against the baseline period 1987 - 2020.

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Individual Drought Indicators

Drought indicators remain high across the region, although there has been a decline in the rainfall index at some locations.

• Lower RI values are due to a longer-term rainfall deficiency.
• Further rainfall is needed to improve the RI values and maintain the positive production outlooks for many locations.

To access a Drought History chart for your Parish, visit the Seasonal Conditions Information Portal.