Australia's rainfall forecast mostly average

The outlook for Australia's rainfall from February to April favors average falls for most of the country, with the northeast likely to be drier than average and the central west possibly wetter than average, the Bureau of Meteorology said Tuesday (Jan 19).

The outlook for mean maximum temperatures February through April shows a mixed pattern, with a moderate-to-strong tendency in the odds favouring above average values for much of northern and eastern Australia, and in the west of Western Australia, the bureau said.

In contrast, cooler-than-average daytime temperatures are indicated in the southeast of the country, it reported.

As for average minimum temperatures February through April, the odds favour above-average levels over much of Australia's northern half, while the odds favour a cooler-than-average period in southeastern Australia, it reported.

An El Nino event persists across the Pacific Basin, with most leading climate models suggesting the tropical Pacific will gradually cool during the next three-to-six months, it stated.

"The influence of El Nino on Australia's rainfall patterns often weakens in the second half of summer – we have already seen heavy rain across parts of inland eastern Australia during December," it said.