Soils on the Magela floodplain range from sands overlying deeply weathered laterised saprolites to organic clay loams. The wet season generally extends from November to April and the dry from May to October. The nearest recorded average rainfalls are at the communities of Jabiru and Oenpelli, which have annual average records of 1,446 mm and 1,365 mm respectively. Meteorological data has been collected at Oenpelli since 1910 and at Jabiru since 1971. High intensity periods of storm rainfall is a significant feature of the region and poses a rain splash erosion problem, particularly on cleared areas.
Air temperatures are high and relatively constant throughout the year.
Mean maximum temperature at Oenpelli for the period 1963 to 1994 was approximately 38oC in October, with mean minimum temperatures for the same period being 18oC in July. The annual mean evaporation is 2,646 mm, and based on an average year evaporation, exceeds rainfall by approximately 1,200 mm. The wind pattern is distinctive and predictable, with strong variable south east winds in the dry season and predominantly north west in the wet season. Tropical cyclones frequently develop over the seas to the north west, north and east of Arnhem Land. Since 1959 there have been 7 tropical cyclones that have passed sufficiently close to the region to have had some effect.