Rainfall Update

For the week to 25 June 2019, rainfall was recorded across the western half of Western Australia, southern coastal parts of South Australia, southern and eastern Victoria, Tasmania, and along the east coast of New South Wales.

At the start of the week, a cold front and associated cloudband with embedded thunderstorms moved through southeast Australia, and produced moderate falls in western Tasmania and parts of southern Victoria. Widespread light falls extended across remaining parts of Tasmania, central to northeastern Victoria, and southeastern South Australia.

A weak low pressure system and associated trough moved north from the Great Australian Bight to the South Australia coast mid-week, and brought moderate falls to the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia. A trough brushed southern Tasmania and produced a few showers and moderate falls in the State's south. In Western Australia, a surface trough and upper-level disturbance brought showers and moderate falls to inland parts of the Pilbara and Gascoyne districts, with light falls extending into parts of the Goldfields District.

From mid-week onwards, a pair of cold fronts tracked across southwest Western Australia. The first strong cold front and pre-frontal trough produced an extensive rainband and brought moderate to locally heavy falls to much of the southwest coast of Western Australia, and as the system moved eastwards, produced further moderate rainfall totals across much of the South West Land Division and Gascoyne District. The second cold front moved quickly across the far southwest of the State, and produced further falls to these regions.  

A high pressure system over southeast Australia directed moist, southeasterly winds onto the east coast of New South Wales. Thunderstorms and showers developed along the east coast of New South Wales and in far southeast Queensland in the last days of the week, with locally moderate to heavy falls along the Illawarra coast in New South Wales.

Rainfall totals in excess of 100 mm were recorded in isolated parts of the Illawarra coast of New South Wales. The highest weekly total was 146 mm at Jervis Bay in New South Wales.

Rainfall totals in excess of 50 mm were recorded along the southwest coast of Western Australia, parts of western Tasmania, and in pockets of the central and southeast coasts of New South Wales.

Rainfall totals between 10 mm and 50 mm were recorded across large parts of the west of Western Australia, about the Eyre Peninsula and Kangaroo Island in South Australia, southern and eastern Victoria, western and southern Tasmania, far southeast Queensland and much of the east coast of New South Wales.

Little or no rainfall was recorded in remaining areas of Western Australia, the Northern Territory, Queensland excluding the far southeast coast, most of South Australia away from the south coast, central to western New South Wales, and northwestern Victoria.

Impact of recent rainfall on deficits

The Drought Statement, issued on 5 June 2019, discusses rainfall deficits over Australia for the 5-month (January 2019–May 2019), 8-month (October 2018–May 2019) and 14-month (April 2018– May 2019) periods.

Rainfall deficit maps are available for these periods as well as for standard periods. The maps below show the percentage of mean rainfall that has been received for the rainfall deficit period for the 5-month, 8-month and 14-month periods ending 25 June 2019.

Rainfall for the period 1 January 2019 to 25 June 2019

For the 5-month period, serious to severe rainfall deficiencies are evident across the South West Land Division, and across the South Coast and southern Goldfields districts in Western Australia. Along part of the west coast rainfall has been the lowest on record for the period. 

Rainfall deficiencies for January–May were also evident across much of the interior of Western Australia, extending in the north through much of the Northern Territory away from the east and the Top End, and in the south through the Nullarbor Plain and through central South Australia. Deficiencies also affect pockets around the Eyre Peninsula and Mid North; pockets of the coastal Kimberley in Western Australia; along the border of South Australia and Victoria; an area spanning Victoria's Central District and West Gippsland; east coast Tasmania; and northeastern New South Wales and southeastern Queensland. 

Rainfall in the last week has eased deficiencies in some affected parts of the South West Land Division in Western Australia. There was generally very little change in other affected areas throughout Australia.

Much of the affected areas in southeast Queensland, northeastern New South Wales, and southern Western Australia have generally received less than 50% of their average rainfall for the period. Affected areas in the Northern Territory, inland South Australia, and interior Western Australia generally received between 30% and 50% of average. Affected areas in Victoria, Tasmania, and the Kimberley in Western Australia have mostly received more than 50% of average rainfall for the period.

Rainfall for the period 1 October 2018 to 25 June 2019

For the 8-month period, serious to severe rainfall deficiencies are evident in large parts of the northern half of Western Australia, particularly the Kimberley and northern Interior District, and across much of the South West Land Division, and part of the Southeast Coastal District; across a very large area of the central Northern Territory and parts of the west coast of the Top End; areas of central to eastern South Australia away from the far northeast and far southeast, but including some agricultural areas; West and South Gippsland in Victoria, and pockets of the southwest coast and far western Mallee; and across the south of Tasmania. Serious to severe rainfall deficiencies were also present across much of northeast of New South Wales except parts of the coast, adjacent southern border regions of Queensland from the southern Maranoa to the eastern Darling Downs, an area of the southern Central Highlands, and parts of the Capricornia and Wide Bay coasts in Queensland.  

The rain that fell in the last week eased deficiencies slightly in affected parts of southwest Western Australia, but very little change elsewhere.

Affected areas in inland parts of Australia have generally received between 30% and 60% of average rainfall for the period. Affected areas in the South West Land Division in Western Australia, and in northeastern New South Wales and southeast Queensland have generally received between 40% and 70% of their average rainfall for the period, while affected areas in Victoria, Tasmania, and southern South Australia have generally received more than 60% of average rainfall for the period.

Rainfall for the period 1 April 2018 to 25 June 2019

Serious or severe rainfall deficiencies are in place at the 14-month period across most of the northeastern quarter of Western Australia, except parts of the inland Kimberley, extending to the northeastern Gascoyne and eastern Pilbara, and also across the South West Land Division and Southeast Coastal districts in Western Australia. Rainfall deficiencies also affect most of the Northern Territory away from the Top End and eastern border regions; most of central and eastern South Australia, away from the far northeast and far southeast; most of the Warrego and Maranoa, Darling Downs, Central Highlands and Capricornia districts in Queensland; large areas of western, central southern, and northeastern New South Wales, extending inland through the Central West Slopes and Plains and part of the South West Slopes, and a pocket around the Illawarra; areas of Victoria in the Mallee, Northern Country, Central, and West and South Gippsland districts; and along the fringe of east coast Tasmania.

Rainfall over the last week has eased deficiencies slightly across parts of southwest Western Australia.

Affected areas across northern parts of Western Australia, the Northern Territory, central South Australia, western and northern New South Wales, and the southern Maranoa District in Queensland have generally received less than 60% of average rainfall for the period. Remaining affected areas of the eastern states, southern South Australia, and southern Western Australia have generally received between 80% and 50% of average rainfall for the period.