Cairns

Cairns is experiencing severe drought conditions with recent rainfall at just 5% of the long-term average (18.9mm vs 367.5mm), though soil moisture remains relatively better at 24% compared to the state's 8.3%. These dry conditions pose significant stress for sugarcane crops and banana plantations, potentially reducing yields and increasing irrigation demands, while beef cattle may face feed shortages if conditions persist. The region's composite score of 40 outperforms Queensland's state average of 24, likely due to better soil moisture retention and access to irrigation infrastructure, though fire risk remains elevated with over 1,300 hotspots detected statewide in the past week.