South-East Local Land Services

Slight easing of conditions in parts of the region

• January rainfall was average to above average across much of the region, providing some relief for some areas. Totals were highly variable, which continues to contribute to the difference in conditions being experienced.
• Drought conditions continue in the south and west of the region, particularly the southern Monaro and Yass regions, where the values for the indicators remain low due to rainfall deficits over several months.
• On ground reports highlight the variation in conditions and rainfall across the region.
• Further rainfall is needed to improve conditions, maintain soil moisture levels and plant growth for the remainder of summer.
• Producers continue to monitor forecasts closely and are implementing farm management strategies in line with conditions.
• The drought forecast suggests that there may be an easing in drought conditions in the south, and an expansion of the Drought Affected category in the northwest (with low to moderate model agreement) by April 2025.
• The DPIRD continues to closely monitor conditions in this region.

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

Normalised Difference Vegetation Index

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

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

Individual Drought Indicators

Variable conditions reflected in the drought indicators across the region.

• Underlying indicators respond to variable rainfall totals over the past several months.
• For some regions, particularly in the south and west, the drought indicator values have continued to decline or remain low (such as Cooma).
• Other areas are experiencing improving indicator values (including Bega) and a transition to the Recovery category of the CDI.
• Further rainfall is needed to improve conditions in the south, and maintain positive production outlooks in other parts of the region.

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