Hunter Local Land Services

Drought conditions improve across parts of the region.

The Combined Drought Indicator (CDI) shows 100% of the region being in one of the drought categories at the end of April.
Above average rainfall during April has seen improvement in drought conditions across much of the region. However, rainfall totals have been highly variable, leading to differing rates of recovery.
While some locations are experiencing significant improvement, others are seeing slower responses, with indicators remaining low.
Continued good follow up rain will be critical to promote further recovery.
Producers continue to monitor forecasts closely and implement drought management strategies as required for their farm enterprises.
The NSW DPI 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 (NDVI)

Plant greenness values have remained generally steady since the previous update.

Although there are signs of recovery for some parts of the region, further rainfall is critical in aiding a longer-term drought recovery.
Many areas still have below average levels of plant greenness. These areas indicate low levels of ground cover and standing dry matter available for livestock.
Some of the extremely negative NDVI areas (brown patches) represent water.

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Drought indicators remain low.

While there have been recent improvements, recovery from drought conditions will take some time and substantial rainfall is needed to trigger improvement in current conditions at all locations.
Producers continue to monitor conditions closely in conjunction with forecasts and outlooks.
To access a Drought History chart for your Parish, visit the Seasonal Conditions Information Portal