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Droughts – Get the Facts

Droughts occur when there is not enough water for people, plants and animals for an unusual amount of time.

Australia’s current drought started in 2003 and has been called the 'Big Dry'.

What causes drought?

Australia is often affected by droughts because of our geography and changeable rainfall patterns.

The image below shows that our continent is located in a subtropical area of the world that produces dry, sinking air that creates clear skies and little rain. For most of the country, our rainfall is very low and irregular.

Another cause of drought in Australia is from the El Niņo weather pattern. When there are El Nino weather conditions, Australia becomes drier than normal and the chance of rain decreases.

Forecasting a drought

Areas of the World affected by El Nino.
(see the above text for more information)

Weather researchers watch closely for signs of an El Niņo weather pattern as a way of forecasting droughts.

Another tool used by weather forecasters in predicting a drought is the Southern Oscillation Index.

By understanding the El Nino patterns and the Southern Oscillation Index, the weather bureau is able to predict a drought and send warnings to farmers and the authorities that a drought is approaching.

Why are droughts dangerous?

When there is a drought, there is less water available for growing crops, farming animals, industry and our cities. Droughts also impact the environment by causing erosion, harm animals by destroying their homes and cause people to pay more for food and affect our water supplies.

Droughts are hard to predict and also hard to live with. When a drought continues for a long time, towns are at risk of running out of water. There are many areas in Australia that have water restrictions to help save water. Some areas also use water recycling, desalination plants and dig bores into the ground to get more water for their residents.

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