Queensland · SA4 sub-regional conditions
Actual
0.5mm
Historical
97.1mm
vs Average
1%
Bar shows rainfall relative to average (centre line = 100% of average)
7%
volumetric (0-1cm) · Very Dry
State average: 8.3% (Very Dry)
1308
hotspots (5d)
State-level · NASA FIRMS
State-level · BOM Water Data
Darling Downs - Maranoa is experiencing severe drought conditions with rainfall at just 1% of the long-term average (0.5mm vs 97.1mm) and critically low soil moisture at 7%, well below Queensland's already dry state average of 8.3%. These extreme dry conditions severely stress the region's beef, cotton, and wheat operations, with pasture quality deteriorating rapidly and crop establishment severely compromised. The SA4's composite score of 18 reflects significantly worse conditions than Queensland's state average of 24, indicating heightened drought risk for agricultural lending in this sub-region.
SA4-specific AI summary · 14/04/2026
Darling Downs - Maranoa (Queensland) has a composite agricultural conditions score of 18/100, rated as challenging. This score is updated daily using localised rainfall and soil moisture data from SILO DataDrill and BOM.
Recent 30-day rainfall is 1% of the historical average (0.5mm actual vs 97.1mm average).
The key commodities in the Darling Downs - Maranoa region are beef, cotton, wheat. Each commodity has its own detailed analysis page with live pricing and forward outlook.
The SA4 composite score is the average of the rainfall score (30-day actual vs historical average) and the soil moisture score (volumetric water content banded from Very Dry to Wet). Soil moisture is currently 7% (very dry).
