Hunter Local Land Services

Above average January rainfall improves conditions across the region.

• Recent rainfall strengthens production outlooks for many regions for the remainder of summer and into autumn.
• Further rainfall is needed to see a transition to the Recovery category for those areas still in the CDI Drought Affected category.
• The drought forecast suggests that most of the region will likely be in the Non-Drought category by the end of April 2025.

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 most of the region for the October to December period.

Lower than average plant greenness levels have emerged in the central parts of the region.

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 respond to rainfall and remain high across most of the region.

• Further rainfall will be beneficial in maintaining the positive production outlook for the remainder of summer and into autumn.

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