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Types
of drought
Global
monitoring
The
effects of major drought
Types
of drought
For Australian conditions, drought frequency is crucial. Research indicates
that severe drought affects some part of Australia about once every
18 years. This does not indicate that severe drought regularly and predictably
recurs every 18 years; intervals between severe droughts have varied
from four to 38 years. We have long historical rainfall records to give
a clearer picture of what is 'normal' for an area, and how much variation
might be expected.
There is little chance that all Australia could be in drought at the
same time. Some droughts are long-lived; some are short and intense,
causing significant damage. Some can be localised while other parts
of the country enjoy bountiful rain. Some regional droughts are not
related to El Niño events, and are therefore harder to forecast.
Examples of each of these types of drought are shown in the large picture
below.
 
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