Weekly Australian Climate, Water and Agricultural Update, 2 July 2026

Key issues

• In the week ending 1 July 2026, rainbands and low-pressure systems brought rainfall to parts of southern, western, and eastern Australia. Much of the remainder of Australia was largely dry.
  • Cropping regions in Victoria and Western Australia saw 10-100 millimetres of rainfall, with higher rainfall totals in western margins of Western Australia and the southern margins of Victoria. In New South Wales, falls of between 5-50 millimetres were recorded.
  • South Australia saw lower falls of 5-10 millimetres, with isolated areas seeing up to 25 millimetres.
• Over the 8 days to 9 July 2026, cold fronts and low-pressure systems are expected to bring rainfall to limited areas of south-eastern and south-western Australia
• Across cropping regions, falls of 5-25 millimetres are forecast for central and western South Australia, northern New South Wales, and much of Victoria.
  • If realised, these expected falls will continue to support the establishment and growth of winter crops.
• Rainfall during June 2026 was generally above average in southern and central regions, and below average across parts of the north, east and far-west. Across the south, generally average above average falls have provided a timely boost to soil moisture and support the establishment and growth of winter crops and pastures.
• Pasture growth for the three months to June 2026 was mixed but broadly high in central and southern areas, with much of south-eastern and central Australia seeing robust pasture growth, and below average growth was evident across areas of north-east and north-western Australia. Soil moisture models indicate broadly average to above average soil moisture levels with exceptions in parts of southern Western Australia, north-western and north-eastern Australia.
• Water storage levels in the Murray-Darling Basin (MDB) increased by 317 gigalitres (GL) between 25 June 2026 and 2 July 2026. The current volume of water held in storages is 11,337 GL, equivalent to 51% of total storage capacity. This is 14% or 1,840 GL less than the same time last year. Water storage data is sourced from the Bureau of Meteorology.
• Allocation prices in the Victorian Murray below the Barmah Choke increased from $390/ML on 25 June 2026 to $414/ML on 30 June 2026. Trade from the Goulburn to the Murray is open. Trade downstream through the Barmah Choke is open. Trade from the Murrumbidgee to the Murray is open.