Another dry month for central and south-eastern Australia

Since the start of winter, South Australia has been the worst hit state, with the five-month average being the second lowest on record at just 36 mm. At the yearly time-scale (not shown), rainfall deficiencies have weakened somewhat compared with the situation at the end of September as October 2007 has generally had higher rainfall totals than October 2006.

For the 5-month period from June to October 2007, an area of serious to severe rainfall deficiencies covered most of SA, southwest Queensland, western NSW, northern Victoria, regions in the southern NT, scattered parts of WA and an area in northeastern Tasmania. Large areas of lowest on record covered South Australia and southwestern Queensland into southeastern NT.

Rainfall deficiencies for the 6-month period from May to October 2007 were widespread across the southern half of Western Australia as May rainfall was also below average in this region. SA was also affected, but to a much lesser extent than for the five-month period. There were small areas of lowest on record in these areas.

The deficiencies discussed above have occurred against a backdrop of multi-year rainfall deficits and record high temperatures that have severely stressed water supplies in the east and southwest of the country. Several years of above average rainfall are required to remove the very long-term deficits. Furthermore, the combination of heat and drought during the past five to ten years over the MDB and southeastern Australia, is outside the typical range of variability experienced during the previous 100 years. For more information go to a recent Special Climate Statement on the six years of widespread drought in southern and eastern Australia, November 2001 to October 2007.