Weekly Australian Climate, Water and Agricultural Update, 29 October 2026

Key issues

• In the week ending 28 October 2026, low-pressure systems brought rainfall and storms to large areas of eastern and central Australia.
  • Cropping regions in Queensland and northern New South Wales saw between 15200 millimetres of rainfall over the period.
  • These falls are expected to support summer crop development and pasture growth but are likely to delay winter crop harvest activities.
• Over the eight days from 29 October to 5 November 2026, rainfall is forecast across much of the eastern two- thirds of Australia.
  • Across eastern cropping regions, falls are expected to be higher in the north, with falls of 15- 50 millimetres in Queensland and northern New South Wales.
  • If realised, these falls are likely to continues to support pasture growth and winter crop grain filling in the southeast, and summer cropping activities in the northeast. However, following rainfall across many north-eastern regions in the past two week, these expected falls are likely to further delay winter crop harvest activities in these areas and increase the risk of grain quality downgrades due to excess moisture at harvest
• The northern rainfall onset has arrived early for some parts of Western Australia, the Northern Territory, and northern and central Queensland, where the onset is usually in November or December during an El Niño year. Wauter storage levels in the Murray-Darling Basin (MDB) increased by 65 gigalitres (GL) between 22 October 2026 and 29 October 2026. The current volume of water held in storages is 14,996 GL, equivalent to 67% of total storage capacity. This is 1% or 137 GL more 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 decreased from $324/ML on 22 October 2026 to $295/ML on 29 October 2026. Trade from the Goulburn to the Murray is closed. Trade downstream through the Barmah Choke is closed. Trade from the Murrumbidgee to the Murray is closed.