Central Tablelands Local Land Services

Variable conditions continue across the region.   

• March rainfall was average to below average across the region, resulting in variable conditions.
• Some regions have seen early winter cropping programs commence in areas that received good rainfall totals.
• Other locations did not receive significant falls, with ongoing management of pastures, livestock health and winter cropping program decisions a major consideration for producers.
• Continued rainfall will be important to ensure positive production outlooks are maintained for the remainder of autumn.
• Follow-up rainfall will be needed to ensure that the production outlook remains positive for producers through autumn and into winter.
• The drought forecast suggests that the region will likely see a decline of conditions by 30 June 2025, with parts of the region transitioning into the Drought Affected category (with moderate model agreement and moderate past accuracy).

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 January to March period.

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

Drought indicators remain generally steady across the region.

• Summer rainfall has maintained the drought indicator values across most of the region.
• Declining trend in the indicators at Cowra continues.
• The production outlook remains positive across most of the region.

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