Rain will soak large areas of Australia during the middle of March, continuing a wet start to autumn that has caused flooding in several states and territories.

The first 10 days of autumn saw rain spreading across large areas of northern, central and eastern Australia thanks to a series of low pressure troughs and low pressure systems.

This wet weather was further enhanced by an active phase of the Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO), which is a pulse of increased rain and storm activity that moves around the world near the equator roughly every 30 to 60 days.

The early-autumn rain combined with soil moisture and runoff from substantial late-summer rainfall events to cause widespread flooding in parts of Queensland, the Northern Territory, South Australia, New South Wales and Victoria over the last couple of weeks. This included the worst flooding in decades for parts of the NT.

As of Thursday morning, major flooding was occurring in numerous river systems in Qld and the NT. Satellite images also reveal vast floodwaters flowing through rivers in central Australia this week, including inflows into Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre.

Wet weather to persist for at least another week

An active MJO will continue to promote rain and storms over parts of Australia during the next few weeks, increasing the likelihood of wet weather into the second half of March and possibly early April.

The map below shows how much rain is being predicted during the next seven days by one computer model, with the heaviest rain across a broad area of northern and central Australia.

Image: Forecast accumulated rain during the seven days ending at 11pm AEDT on Tuesday, March 18, 2026.

The upcoming heavy rain is likely to cause flooding in parts of northern and central Australia, particularly in areas that have already seen flooding in recent weeks. Check the latest flood watches and warnings in your state or territory for more information.