North West drought categories lowering after rain: Department of Primary Industries

Updated every three months, the majority of the two shires are now sitting in the drought-affected (weakening) category, as opposed to the intense drought category in December 2019.

Areas in the weakening category have tightening production conditions, but with "some falls of rain over the past month".

This is a drastic change compared to the DPI's intense drought category, which is defined as very low ground cover, exhausted soil moisture stores, and minimal rainfall over the past 6-12 months.

"Gunnedah is in the drought-affected (weakening) category. The recent rainfall trend is positive over the last 90 days and has weakened drought conditions from the more intense CDI drought phases experienced by the region early in the year," a DPI spokesperson said.

The DPI's categories are based on "percentile thresholds calculated from historic rainfall, soil moisture and plant growth information, as well as the trend in rainfall conditions".

The information is mostly used by primary producers to "prepare for changing conditions and to operate effectively in current conditions".

The Liverpool Plains Shire is in the weakening category for the most part, but some small areas are still in the drought phase.

"Generally, the recent rain has weakened and changed the nature of the drought event in most of the region since the start of February when most of the area was in the intense drought category," the DPI spokesperson said.

"The changeable distribution of the CDI categories indicates that some areas may have received less rain or that the practical field response has been less, is slow or may have potentially staled."

For more information and a definition of each of the CDI phases visit https://edis.dpi.nsw.gov.au/cdi-drought-phases