South East Queensland: Outlook for 2021 Account
as at 1 February 2021
- Rainfall is likely to be close to average during the 2020–21 year.
- Inflows into the region's storages are expected to be below average, similar to last year.
For further information on the outlook for the region during the 2020–21 year scroll down this page or click on the links below:
Current water levels
- Rainfall was below average across the region during July 2020–January 2021. Storage levels steadily decreased during most of this 7-month period.
- Above-average rainfall in December 2020 resulted in a small rise in storage levels across the region.
- At 1 February 2021, storages were 54% full compared to 53% at the same time last year.
- More information on current storage levels in the region is available on the Bureau of Meteorology's Water Storage website.
Climate outlook
Figure S8 Chance of exceeding median rainfall for the South East Queensland region for February–April 2021
- According to the Bureau of Meteorology's climate outlook (from 28 January 2021), rainfall is expected to be above average during the next three months (February–April 2021).
- The El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is currently in a La Niña phase and is expected to persist until early autumn.
- Total annual rainfall for 2020–21 is likely to be close to average and inflows into the region's storages are expected to be similar to 2019–20.
Future commitments
- Water use is expected to be similar to 2019–20 due to the likelihood of similar rainfall conditions across the region to last year.