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.