A new report has revealed the region is well placed for drought recovery.
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The Department of Primary Industries released its State Seasonal Update for June at the start of the month.
The update showed that across NSW, despite dry conditions, the drought continued to weaken across large areas of the state.
Conditions in Goulburn, Crookwell, Yass, Mittagong and other northern areas of the south-east region continued to show improvements and early signs of drought recovery since the start of the year. Many areas in the north of the region are well placed for a longer-term drought recovery if favourable conditions are received during the remainder of winter and into spring.
In contrast, southern areas have remained dry and had little relief.
The seasonal NDVI anomaly data (above) shows a higher than expected level of plant greenness in the north. Rainfall totals have been higher and more effective in these areas. Plant greenness levels remain below expected levels in the south and the areas impacted by bushfires stand out.
The time series chart (above) shows the individual response of the drought indices at Bega, Goulburn and Cooma. They show large variations between locations. Goulburn has shown the greatest improvement since April. All locations show the importance of follow-up rain.
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