AUSTRALIA’S mixed rainfall fortunes continued through May, with above-average falls across much of New South Wales, Queensland and central Australia helping ease some short-term deficiencies.

However, long-term rainfall shortages persisted across large parts of southern Australia.

According to the Bureau of Meteorology, May rainfall was above average in a broad band stretching from the north-west of the country through central Australia and into New South Wales and southern Queensland.

In contrast, much of Western Australia’s west coast, parts of northern coastal Queensland and some south-eastern coastal regions recorded below-average rainfall.

The Bureau of Meteorology said year-to-date rainfall deficiencies across eastern Australia contracted during 2026, although new deficiencies emerged in the Pilbara and Gascoyne regions of Western Australia.

Areas with rainfall deficiencies over the past 24 months remain across coastal regions of the south-eastern states and parts of southern New South Wales.

May rainfall was very much above average in many areas, with some locations recording totals in the wettest 10 per cent of all Mays since records began in 1900.

These areas included most of New South Wales, western and southern Queensland, much of South Australia, eastern Tasmania, the Northern Territory and parts of the Kimberley region in Western Australia.

Despite the improved rainfall in some eastern regions, water availability remains a concern.

Soil moisture deficits eased in north-eastern New South Wales and south-eastern Queensland but increased in parts of Western Australia and eastern Queensland.

Streamflow was lower than average at many monitoring sites across southern Australia, northern New South Wales and southern Queensland, while some major water storages in eastern and southern states remain at or below 50 per cent capacity.

Autumn rainfall patterns reflected similar contrasts.

Rainfall from March to May was above average across the Northern Territory, South Australia, western New South Wales, northern and western Queensland, and parts of Victoria north of the Great Dividing Range. However, below-average autumn rainfall was recorded in parts of Western Australia, north-eastern New South Wales, southern Queensland, Tasmania and sections of Victoria and south-eastern South Australia.

Parts of the Daly River catchment in the Northern Territory and the Lake Eyre Basin in South Australia recorded their highest autumn rainfall on record. South Australia experienced its fourth-wettest autumn on record, while the Northern Territory recorded its seventh-wettest.

Longer-term trends remain concerning in many southern regions. Rainfall for the 36 months ending in May 2026 was below average across large areas of Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria, Tasmania and parts of New South Wales and southern Queensland.

Areas of record-low rainfall over a three-year period have persisted in south-west Western Australia and expanded into south-eastern South Australia and south-western Victoria.

The Bureau of Meteorology says its State of the Climate 2024 report identified an ongoing shift towards drier conditions across southern Australia, particularly during the cooler months from April to October.

Between 1994 and 2025, southern Australia recorded below-average cool-season rainfall in 26 of 32 years.

Looking ahead, the Bureau of Meteorology’s long-range outlook for June to August indicates rainfall is likely to be below average across much of southern, central and eastern Australia.

Daytime and overnight temperatures are also expected to be above average across most of the country, continuing a trend of warmer-than-normal conditions.