Burdekin: Outlook for 2020 Account
as at 1 December 2019
- Rainfall is likely to be below average during the 2019–20 wet season.
- Inflows into the region's storages are expected to be less than last year.
For further information on the outlook for the region during the 2019–20 year scroll down this page or click on the links below:
Current water levels
- Little rainfall has fallen across the region during July–November 2019, which is typical for this time of the year. Storage levels have steadily decreased during this 5-month period.
- Storages were 75% full at 1 December 2019, higher than at the same time last year (67%) due to high storage inflows in 2018–19.
- More information on current storage levels in the region is available on the Bureau of Meteorology's Water Storage website.
Climate outlook
Figure S11 Chance of exceeding median rainfall for the Burdekin region for January–March 2020
- The next few months (January–March) are usually when more than half of the region's annual rainfall occurs. According to the Bureau of Meteorology's climate outlook (from 5 December 2019), rainfall is expected to be below average during this period.
- The El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is expected to remain neutral for the early part of the wet season.
- Inflows into the region's storages for the 2019–20 year are expected to be below average and less than last year.
Future commitments
- Given that rainfall is expected to be less than in 2018–19, water use may increase in the 2019–20 year. Lower wet season rainfall is likely to increase users' reliance on water sourced directly from surface water and groundwater stores.