Drought
Rainfall deficiencies and water availability

Rainfall deficiencies and water availability at the end of June

• June rainfall was above average in large areas of the west, inland and southern Australia, and below average in areas along the east and south-west.
• Areas with 2026-to-date rainfall deficiencies developed in the south-west of Western Australia and persisted in north-eastern New South Wales.
• Areas with rainfall deficiencies for the latest 24 months persist in parts of the south-east but eased in western and central Victoria.
• Soil moisture deficits have decreased in most of Australia, except in eastern Queensland
• Streamflow was lower than average at many sites across southern Australia, parts of eastern Australia and southern Queensland.
• Some water storages in the eastern and southern states are at or below 50% of their capacity.

Above average June rainfall in southern and inland Australia

June area-averaged rainfall totals for all states and Territories were above average.

June rainfall was above average to very much above average (in the wettest 10% of all Junes since 1900) for:

• South Australia, western and central Victoria and parts of Tasmania
• western areas of New South Wales and Queensland
• parts of the Top End and in the south of the Northern Territory
• some western and southern regions of Western Australia.

Rainfall was below average to very much below average (in the driest 10% of all Junes since 1900) for:

• parts of the south-west and north of Western Australia into parts of the Northern Territory
• parts of the east of New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland.

It is the dry season in northern Australia with typically low rainfall, so map colours in the north can represent small differences in rainfall totals.

Further details: Monthly climate summaries, Latest National climate summary

April to June rainfall

Rainfall was below average to very much below average (in the driest 10% of all April to June periods since 1900) for:

• parts of the south-west, north-west and interior of Western Australia
• large areas of eastern Queensland
• parts of south-eastern New South Wales
• south-eastern Victoria
• western Tasmania.

Rainfall was above average to very much above average (in the wettest 10% of all April to June periods since 1900) for:

• eastern Northern Territory and north-eastern South Australia
• inland Queensland and across north-western New South Wales
• southern parts of Western Australia and South Australia 
• parts of western and central Victoria.

Multi-year rainfall deficiencies

Rainfall for the 36 months ending in June 2026 has been below average (in the lowest 30% of all such periods since 1900) for:

• large areas of the west and south-west of Western Australia
• the agricultural areas in South Australia
• much of Victoria
• Tasmania
• areas along New South Wales western slopes, and into south-eastern Queensland.

Areas of lowest on record rainfall (for all respective 36-month periods since 1900) have expanded in the south-west of Western Australia, south-eastern South Australia and south-western Victoria.

Maps: Recent and historical rainfall maps

Long-range forecast for July to September

The long-range forecast, released on 2 July 2026 for July to  September 2026 shows:

• Rainfall is likely to be below average for much of southern, central and eastern Australia,
• Daytime temperatures are likely to be above average for most of Australia except in parts of the north.
• Overnight temperatures are likely to be above average for much of Australia.

Rainfall deficiency forecasts

Compared with the last 3 months, forecasts show rainfall deficiency areas during July to September, are favoured to expand in parts of the south-west and north west of Western Australia, and possibly develop along large areas of coastal eastern Australia and extending inland, particularly in Queensland.

Compared with the last 6 months, forecasts show rainfall deficiency areas during July to September, are favoured to expand in the south-west and parts of the north-west of Western Australia, and north-eastern New South Wales and adjacent parts of south-eastern Queensland.

Deficiencies for the 6 months since January 2026

For the 6 months ending in June 2026, areas with severe or serious rainfall deficiencies (rainfall totals in the lowest 5% or 10% of years, respectively, since 1900) include:

• parts of north-eastern New South Wales into south-eastern Queensland
• small areas of south-western and western inland Western Australia
• south-western Tasmania

Since May 2026, rainfall deficiency areas contracted in the Pilbara–Gascoyne region in Western Australia, and in northern Tasmania, but expanded slightly in north-eastern New South Wales.

Deficiencies for the 24 months since June 2024

For the latest 24-month period ending in June 2026, areas with severe or serious rainfall deficiencies (rainfall totals in the lowest 5% or 10% of periods, respectively, since 1900) extend across:

• parts of south-eastern agricultural regions in South Australia
• parts of southern Victoria
• parts of southern New South Wales
• small areas in the south-west of Western Australia

Compared with the 24-month period ending in May 2026, areas of rainfall deficiency in Victoria contracted and eased in intensity, particularly in the south-west.

Soil moisture was below average in areas of the west and north-east of Australia

During June, areas with root-zone soil moisture deficits generally contracted, except those in eastern Queensland.

June root-zone soil moisture (0–1 m) was below to very much below average (in the lowest 10% of all Junes since 1911) for:

• parts of the south, north-west and inland of Western Australia
• an inland area in the west of South Australia
• part of the south-east of the Northern Territory
• parts of eastern Queensland.

Above-average soil moisture continued through large areas of central and inland Australia, particularly in South Australia, while soil moisture remained close to average elsewhere.

Evaporative stress decreased across inland south-eastern Australia

Evaporative stress for the 4 weeks ending 30 June 2026 was elevated (negative Evaporative Stress Index (ESI)) in:

• large areas of north-western and generally inland Western Australia
• parts of coastal New South Wales to south-eastern Victoria
• large areas of central-eastern Queensland
• parts of the Northern Territory

During the month, generally average June rainfall across most of Tasmania and inland New South Wales reduced evaporative stress, while below average rainfall and warmer days across parts of the Northern Territory and eastern Queensland expanded inland areas of elevated evaporative stress (negative ESI).

Low streamflow in southern Australia, northern New South Wales and southern Queensland

Streamflow was lower than average at 17% of the 914 sites with available data across Australia in June (based on records since 1975). Very much below average streamflow (in the lowest 10% of years since 1975) was recorded in June at 2% of sites. Below average rainfall, particularly in the west of Western Australia and eastern Australia, reduced root-zone soil moisture and runoff in those catchments. Regions with lower-than-average streamflow included:

• central and southern the North East Coast (9% of 167 sites) with 3% sites in the south were very much below average
• across the Murray–Darling Basin (18% of 342 sites) with 3% sites in the north-east were very much below average.
• across the South East Coast (New South Wales) drainage division (19% of 110 sites) with a single site were very much below average
• across the South East Coast (Victoria) drainage division (22% of 100 sites) with three sites were very much below average
• sites in the South Australian Gulf (30% of 10 sites) and eastern areas of Tasmania (19% of 21 sites)
• across the South West Coast drainage division of Western Australia (40% of 76 sites) with 7% sites were very much below average
• a single site in the Lake Eyre Basina single and a single site in the Pilbara–Gascoyne drainage division.

Streamflow in June was average at 49% of sites spread across the country. Higher than average streamflow was recorded at 34% of sites, with 7% of sites observing very much above average streamflow (in the highest 10% of years since 1975), mostly in the northern Australia and some sites in the Southern Australia.

Low water storage levels in Victoria, the southern Murray–Darling Basin and central Queensland

By the end of June, total water storage across Australia—based on 302 public storages—was at 66.1% of capacity, a slight increase of 0.9% from the previous month, and an increase of 1.3% from same time last year. Storage volumes decreased in 124 storages during June, with 85 storages below 50% at the end of the month in:

• south-eastern Queensland
• the southern and eastern Murray–Darling Basin
• Victoria and South-eastern South Australia
• Perth urban storages in Western Australia
• parts of Tasmania.

Declines in storages across the country were associated dry catchment conditions and reduced inflows to major storages.

North East Coast

In the North East Coast drainage division, overall storage remained relatively high at 78.9% of capacity at the end of June. Many storages were at full capacity, but some had decreased from last month, and several storages remained below 50%. Fairbairn Dam, Queensland’s second-largest storage, finished the month at 32.0%, down 1.5% compared to the previous month, and an increase of 10.5% from last year.

South-eastern Australia

Many storages across the Murray–Darling Basin and the South East Coast (Victoria) drainage divisions were below or close to 50% of capacity at the end of June, including Hume Dam, Australia’s seventh-largest reservoir, and Lake Eucumbene. Hume Dam increased by 11.3% during June, finishing at 35.5%, and 2.8% lower than at the same time last year. Menindee Lakes in western New South Wales remained same as last month at 25.3% of capacity at the end of June and 45.9% lower than this time last year.

The overall storage volume across the Murray–Darling Basin increased by 4.4% during June, finishing the month at 53.3%, and 7.4% lower than this time last year.

Overall storage volume across the South East Coast (Victoria) drainage division decreased by 0.5% in June, ending the month at 36.3%. In the Wimmera–Mallee system, a critical rural water supply for domestic and agricultural use in western Victoria, storages were at 36.8% of capacity, up by 5.1% compared to the previous month, and 0.8% higher than at the same time last year.

Urban storages

At the end of June, surface water storages supplying most capital cities were close to or above 80% of accessible capacity, except for those in Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth.

Perth's surface water storages were at 36.4% of accessible capacity at the end of June, a slight increase of 0.7% from the previous month, and slightly lower (0.5%) than at the same time last year. The long-term decline in surface water inflows has reduced the contribution of surface storages to Perth’s water supply, and the city continues to rely heavily on desalination and groundwater to meet its water demand.

Adelaide's storages were 47.1% full at the end of June, an increase of 4.3% from the previous month, but were 9.5% higher than at this time last year. By the end of June, four of Adelaide’s metropolitan storages were at or below 50% capacity. Adelaide’s urban water supply is supplemented by transfers from the River Murray, with additional climate-independent supply provided by desalination and groundwater.

Below average groundwater levels in areas of southern and eastern Australia

A high proportion of bores that reported in June had levels that were below average along the coastal south-west of Western Australia, in South Australia, western and northern Victoria, coastal Tasmania and in parts of southern New South Wales, particularly in the southern Murray–Darling Basin. Almost all bores were below average in parts of the Riverina region in New South Wales, and along the bordering region between South Australia and Victoria.

In the northern Murray­–Darling Basin, parts of some catchment areas had a high proportion of bores with below average groundwater levels, particularly around the north-east of the Namoi River catchment in New South Wales. Many of these areas continue to show declining long-term trends, indicating ongoing groundwater stress.

Above-average groundwater levels were widespread in Queensland and northern New South Wales, and generally had rising or stable long-term trends. Average levels were scattered across parts of New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia.

Overall, June groundwater conditions indicate continued rises in northern and eastern Australia, while southern groundwater systems remain under pressure, highlighting the need for continued monitoring and careful water management.

Recent decades

State of the Climate 2024 reported that there has been a shift towards drier conditions across southern Australia, especially for the cool season months from April to October. Even with occasional wetter seasons in some areas, southern Australia has recorded below-average April–October rainfall in 26 of the 32 years from 1994 to 2025.

The decline in southern Australia's cool season rainfall is linked to rising surface pressure and shifts in large-scale weather patterns, with more high-pressure systems and fewer rain-producing lows and cold fronts.

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