Seasonal conditions remain challenging, with a further intensification of drought conditions for parts of the region.
- Below average rainfall and warm spring temperatures continue to influence longer-term rainfall and soil-moisture deficits.
- Drought conditions continued to intensify during September, with much of the region remaining in one of the NSW-CDI drought categories.
- Livestock producers continue to implement drought-management strategies, including supplementary feeding, feed budgeting, monitoring livestock condition and welfare, reviewing stocking pressure, and assessing farm water supplies.
Click on the scroll bar below the map to compare with previous months.
The DPIRD Drought Forecast suggests that most of the region is likely to be in the NSW-CDI Drought Affected category at the end of December 2026 (issued 30 September 2026).
- Conditions will likely improve across much of the region, with many locations transitioning to the less intense NSW-CDI Drought Affected category.
- Some isolated areas will likely remain in, or transition to, the Non-Drought or Recovery category.
- There is moderate to high model agreement and low to high past accuracy for this forecast period.
| NSW-CDI Category | August 2026 | September 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Non-Drought | 7.7% | 7.5% |
| Recovery | 1.4% | 1.3% |
| Drought Affected – Weakening | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Drought Affected – Intensifying | 55.8% | 42.4% |
| Drought | 35.1% | 44.6% |
| Intense Drought | 0.0% | 4.2% |
Normalised Difference Vegetation Index
Plant greenness levels compared to the historical average for this period.
- Note that some of the extremely negative NDVI areas (brown patches) are water bodies.
The NDVI anomaly is a useful measure of vegetation density and plant health. It estimates the amount of green vegetation there is in the landscape compared to what is expected at the given time of year, against the baseline period 1987 – 2020.
Individual Drought Indicators
Drought indicators remain low across much of the region.
- Drier conditions and warmer temperatures continue to influence conditions, leading to a further decline in the underlying drought indicators.
- Substantial rainfall is needed to trigger short-term recovery.
- DPIRD continues to monitor this region closely.
The timeseries charts now include the DPIRD Drought Forecast, displaying the range of possible scenarios of the three underlying drought indicators and NSW-CDI category over the next three months for each location.
Observing the trends of the underlying drought indicators of Soil Water, Plant Growth and Rainfall is useful in tracking long-term changes in conditions.
Find out more about the underlying drought indicators here: https://www.dpird.nsw.gov.au/climate_applications/interactive-drought-map/Learn-more/understanding-the-cdi-phases
To access a Drought History chart for your Parish, visit the Seasonal Conditions Information Portal.
