Rainfall Update

For the week to 23 November 2021, rainfall was recorded across large parts of north-western, central, and southern Western Australia, central and north-west parts of the Northern Territory, southern South Australia, far eastern Victoria, most of Tasmania, the northern half and eastern New South Wales, and in northern, eastern and southern Queensland.

At the start of the week, a surface trough extending through inland Queensland combined with moist onshore flow and produced showers and thunderstorms along the east coast of Queensland, with moderate falls about the north tropical coast, around Townsville, and the Wide Bay coast.

A broad area of low pressure was located over Western Australia, with surface troughs extending across South Australia to a low pressure system in the Great Australian Bight. The trough tracked eastward, with the low connecting to a weak cold front and crossing Tasmania around mid-week. Showers and storms produced light to moderate falls through inland and southern Western Australia, southern South Australia, southern New South Wales, and the southern two-thirds of Tasmania.

Thunderstorms and showers also developed across Cape York Peninsula and the north tropical Queensland coast, parts of the Gulf Country and parts of the north-west Top End in the Northern Territory.

From mid-week, an extensive trough stretched from the north-west through central Australia to New South Wales, drawing tropical moisture down from the Indian Ocean. Widespread moderate falls were recorded in south-west and southern inland Queensland, north-west and central to eastern parts of New South Wales.

In the last part of the week, a tropical low pressure system off north-west Australia developed into tropical cyclone Paddy, the first tropical cyclone of the 2021–22 season, providing consistent moderate rainfall to Christmas Island, 1500 km west of the Australian mainland.

The low pressure trough which had persisted along the west coast of Australia during the week deepened at the end of the week, with a low pressure centre developing over the south-west and an associated cold front then tracking eastward in the last days of the week. Widespread moderate falls were recorded in the north-west, central and the south-west parts of Western Australia.

A trough across northern Australia also persisted through the second half of the week. Thunderstorms and showers brought widespread moderate falls to the north-west and larges areas of southern Queensland, and most of northern New South Wales except the far north-west, extending along most of that state's north-east to central coasts.

At the end of the week, a low pressure system and upper-level disturbance over the central Queensland coast brought thunderstorms and moderate to locally heavy rainfall to much of the east coast south of Proserpine, extending west into the Central Highlands, and south to the Darling Downs and parts of the Warrego and Maranoa districts of Queensland. A coastal trough also produced widespread moderate falls in north-eastern and the central coast of New South Wales.

Rainfall totals in excess of 100 mm were recorded in pockets around the Herbert and Lower Burdekin, the Wide Bay coast, and southern parts of the Central Highlands into the Darling Downs in Queensland; also in the Mid North Coast District in New South Wales. The highest weekly total was 240 mm at Yarras (Mount Seaview) in the Mid North Coast District in New South Wales.

Rainfall totals between 50 mm and 100 mm were recorded in small areas in central and south-west Western Australia, the far south-east of Western Australia and bordering areas of far south-west South Australia, north-east New South Wales extending into the south-east inland of Queensland, and parts of east coast Queensland.

Rainfall totals of 10 mm to 50 mm were recorded in north-west, central and southern Western Australia; southern and north-west parts of the Northern Territory; southern South Australia; most of Tasmania away from the north; far eastern Victoria; northern and eastern New South Wales; and northern, eastern and southern parts of Queensland.

Impact of recent rainfall on deficits

Rainfall deficits over Australia for the 19-month (April 2020–October 2021) period are discussed in the Drought Statement, which issued on 5 November 2021.

Rainfall deficit maps are available for the period as well as for standard periods. The maps to the right shows the percentage of mean rainfall that has been received for the period starting April 2020, and extended to the week ending 23 November 2021.

Rainfall for the period 1 April 2020 to 23 November 2021

Serious or severe rainfall deficiencies for the period commencing April 2020 persist in the Capricornia and Wide Bay and Burnett districts and extend west into the Central Highlands District in Queensland, and in a pocket of the west of the state near Boulia.

Some isolated areas of deficiencies persist in central regions of Western Australia that missed out on above average winter rain that fell further to the south.

Rainfall last week eased rainfall deficiencies in affected areas of Western Australia, and slightly eased deficiencies in some affected areas of western and eastern Queensland.

Areas around Boulia and areas in Queensland's Capricornia, and Wide Bay and Burnett districts have generally received 60% to 80% of their average for the period. Affected areas of Western Australia have generally received between 50% and 70% of their average.