Welcome to the Bureau's long-range forecast for April to June. Let's begin with recent conditions.
March days and nights have been much warmer than average for most of Australia. We've seen heatwaves across large parts of Australia, with record March temperatures for some southern and central areas. Australia had its warmest March day on record, reaching an average of 38.7 degrees Celsius on the first of March.
March has been wetter than average in the north-east, due to Tropical Cyclone Alfred early in the month, followed by a trough and associated tropical moisture over inland Queensland. These events brought widespread, heavy rainfall and flooding to Queensland and north-eastern New South Wales. Some locations set their highest daily rainfall records. The highest accumulated rainfall for March to date is at Cardwell Range, with more than 1.6 m up to the 26th of March.
Looking at rainfall over the past two years, dry conditions have persisted for parts of the southern agricultural regions, especially in South Australia and western Victoria. This has been especially evident during the southern growing season. With the impact of recent rainfall, soils are currently wetter than usual for much of the country. But for some scattered areas, especially the far south of the mainland and western Tasmania, soil moisture is below average.
Australia's combined water storage is at 67% of capacity. Storages in the north and east of the mainland, especially those in eastern Queensland, are at or beyond full capacity. In the south, many storages remain below 50% full.
The heavy rainfall and flooding brought on by Tropical Cyclone Alfred has not increased storage levels in the Murray–Darling Basin. Combined storage levels in the basin have continued to drop and are now down by 20% from the same time last year.
Let's look now at the long-range forecast for April to June. Much of Australia can expect the typical range of rainfall for this time of year. For parts of the far north and eastern coastal areas, above average rainfall is likely. For areas in the south that have experienced long-term dry conditions, rainfall is likely to be below average.
While this time of year is typically the start of cooler months for the south, warmer than usual days and nights are forecast across Australia. For much of Australia, there's also an increased chance of unusually high temperatures, especially for nights.
Ocean temperatures around Australia are forecast to remain warmer than average over the coming months. In summary, we're likely to see:
- rainfall in the typical range for this time of year in most areas
- above average rainfall in the far north and parts of the east
- warmer than usual days and nights, and ongoing dry conditions in parts of the south.
We update our long-range forecasts weekly. While we provide an indication of the most likely trends in rainfall and temperature for different areas, it remains possible for the less likely scenarios to occur. Our long-range forecasts include maps that show the chance of different amounts of rainfall in the weeks and months ahead. Select your location to find out more. Bye for now.
March days and nights have been much warmer than average for most of Australia. We've seen heatwaves across large parts of Australia, with record March temperatures for some southern and central areas. Australia had its warmest March day on record, reaching an average of 38.7 degrees Celsius on the first of March.
March has been wetter than average in the north-east, due to Tropical Cyclone Alfred early in the month, followed by a trough and associated tropical moisture over inland Queensland. These events brought widespread, heavy rainfall and flooding to Queensland and north-eastern New South Wales. Some locations set their highest daily rainfall records. The highest accumulated rainfall for March to date is at Cardwell Range, with more than 1.6 m up to the 26th of March.
Looking at rainfall over the past two years, dry conditions have persisted for parts of the southern agricultural regions, especially in South Australia and western Victoria. This has been especially evident during the southern growing season. With the impact of recent rainfall, soils are currently wetter than usual for much of the country. But for some scattered areas, especially the far south of the mainland and western Tasmania, soil moisture is below average.
Australia's combined water storage is at 67% of capacity. Storages in the north and east of the mainland, especially those in eastern Queensland, are at or beyond full capacity. In the south, many storages remain below 50% full.
The heavy rainfall and flooding brought on by Tropical Cyclone Alfred has not increased storage levels in the Murray–Darling Basin. Combined storage levels in the basin have continued to drop and are now down by 20% from the same time last year.
Let's look now at the long-range forecast for April to June. Much of Australia can expect the typical range of rainfall for this time of year. For parts of the far north and eastern coastal areas, above average rainfall is likely. For areas in the south that have experienced long-term dry conditions, rainfall is likely to be below average.
While this time of year is typically the start of cooler months for the south, warmer than usual days and nights are forecast across Australia. For much of Australia, there's also an increased chance of unusually high temperatures, especially for nights.
Ocean temperatures around Australia are forecast to remain warmer than average over the coming months. In summary, we're likely to see:
- rainfall in the typical range for this time of year in most areas
- above average rainfall in the far north and parts of the east
- warmer than usual days and nights, and ongoing dry conditions in parts of the south.
We update our long-range forecasts weekly. While we provide an indication of the most likely trends in rainfall and temperature for different areas, it remains possible for the less likely scenarios to occur. Our long-range forecasts include maps that show the chance of different amounts of rainfall in the weeks and months ahead. Select your location to find out more. Bye for now.
Long-range forecast: April to June 2025
27 March 2025
Our long-range forecast video provides a look at likely rainfall, streamflow, and temperature for the months ahead.