Hunter Local Land Services

Drought recovery continues across the region, though conditions remain variable.

• The Combined Drought Indicator (CDI) shows approximately 1% of the region remains in the Drought Affected category at the end of October.
• The extend of the region in the Non-Drought category continued to increase over the past month and 86% is now in the Non-Drought category while 13% is in the Recovery category.
• A small area around Putty remains in the Drought Affected category with the Rainfall Index below the 30^th percentile.
• Rainfall through September and October has contributed to the improvements in conditions. Further rainfall entering summer will continue to aid in recovery.
• Warm temperatures and management of soil moisture will be a consideration entering summer.
• This continued improvement in conditions is positive for landholders implementing farm management decisions as recovery continues.
• The DPIRD continues to monitor conditions in this region.

Click on the scroll bar below the map to compare with previous months.

Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI)

Plant greenness levels remain above average for many parts of the region for the August to October period.

Note that some of the extremely negative NDVI areas (brown patches) are water bodies or from the influence of mining operations.

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.

Click on the scroll bar below the map to compare with previous months.

Individual Drought Indicators

Drought indicators continue to improve across the region.

• The drought indicators continue to improve across the region. There have been recent improvements and recovery from drought conditions continues across the region.
• While the indicators are still high for many parts of the region, the Rainfall Index has dropped slightly over the past month at some locations.
• Further rainfall will be beneficial to continue recent improvements across the region.

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