Southern Australia’s Invisible Crisis: The Drought That Hides In Plain Sight

How bad can a dry spell get? Southern Australia is finding out the hard way. Since January 2025, severe rainfall deficiencies have strangled the region, with rainfall totals below 20% of long-term averages across large swaths of South Australia, Victoria, and Tasmania. That’s not just dry. It’s historically parched.

Southern Australia faces its worst drought in history, with rainfall at less than 20% of average. Historically parched doesn’t begin to describe it.

Tasmania, typically known for its lush scenery, reported its driest start to a year on record. Quite the achievement, but not the kind worth celebrating. Agricultural regions across the south are experiencing their lowest rainfall ever recorded. Ever. Let that sink in.

The culprit? Stubborn high-pressure systems that refuse to budge, blocking rainfall like an unwelcome bouncer at nature’s door. Add in a primarily positive Southern Annular Mode, and you’ve got the perfect recipe for disaster.

Meanwhile, temperatures decided to break records too – autumn 2025 was the warmest on record for southern Australia. Because why not pile on?

Farmers are getting hammered. They’re either spending fortunes on livestock feed or selling their animals at rock-bottom prices. Soil moisture has plummeted faster than stock market crashes. Dust storms in South Australia serve as nature’s not-so-subtle reminder that things are bad. Really bad.

Water restrictions are popping up everywhere. Adelaide and Melbourne have fired up their desalination plants – expensive toys that suddenly seem essential. Communities relying on non-mains water sources are facing critical water situations. Some communities are even trucking in water. Nothing says “crisis” quite like water delivery by road.

The environment is taking a beating too. Rivers and wetlands are drying up, threatening endangered species. Fish and insects don’t do well without water. Shocking, right?

This isn’t just a farmer’s problem or an environmental issue. It’s regional economies at risk, food supply chains under threat, and communities facing uncertain futures. Root-zone soil moisture and streamflows have fallen into the lowest 10% of records measured up to April 2025.

The worst part? This invisible crisis continues to deepen, day by rainless day. Southern Australia is bone-dry – and nobody seems to be looking up at the empty sky.